Life's Plans Rewritten
by Realmling
Summary: We make plans. Life has other ideas - and sometimes things get rewritten. Bruce & Lenorah return in their own little rewrite. Rated T for language & such.
1. And so it begins

"_You'll never find a greater hive of scum and villainy."_

Or something along those lines at least. Perhaps not so long ago people thought that about the city stretched out around him. Of course, there were probably people who still though such things about Gotham City. It didn't matter.

Was Gotham a bright shining jewel like Metropolis? No. Was it as bad as some backwater spaceport on some unimportant planet that didn't exist in the first place? Hell no. Gotham was what it had always been - a place where hope still lived, even if it was a little tarnished around the edges. And that hope had only grown over the last three years.

The city had been held in the grip of fear by a deranged madman. Once the dust had settled, Gothamites had shaken themselves free of the debris and moved on with their lives. In that they were united, but that was perhaps the only thing that brought them together. In everything else the city was still split.

There were normal people who simply wanted to be left alone to live their lives. The mobs had consolidated themselves somewhat, keeping a lower profile than they had in the past. They had to. Survival meant not getting caught - and you never knew when _he_ might decide to drop in for a visit.

Batman.

It was a name that brought out a rather varied mix of emotions. For some, he was the hope that allowed them to sleep at night. For others he was a menace. One that needed to be locked up with the dregs he dropped off at the police stations every night. And for others still he was bad for business.

Even those that wanted him strung up in the town square had to admit that crime was no longer quite so bad in the city they chose to call home. If nothing else he had done that much.

No one knew him beyond the wild stories and blurry photographs that appeared in the papers on occasion. And that was exactly how he wanted it. There didn't need to be a face or a name known to anyone. Others might not agree, but there were distinct advantages to working alone.

Unfortunately for him, life had something else in mind for the man of shadows. Something he certainly never planned for.

**AN:**

Well, some of you probably know I was deliberating on posting the rewrite or something all new. Guess which one was closer to being done!

If you've read my other collection of Batman drivel, there will be a few familiar things. Certain scene elements were kept, but everything has a nice new face lift. So while a few things are similar (names and places) this is relatively new.

The entire thing is written, but I haven't decided how often to post yet. Could also agree to beta-readers if someone really wants to. Either chapter by chapter or the whole thing. Will survive without one, but it's always nice to have some extra eyes looking at things. I tend to scare people off it seems though...so yeah.

Anywho, enjoy I suppose. =P


	2. Part 1

Another Friday night, and all seemed normal. The streets below had been quiet the past few weeks. It was something that bothered the man in black perched upon a ledge of a vacant building. Quiet streets meant one of two things - crime was non-existent or something terrible was brewing. Batman doubted it was the former.

His body remained motionless, the only things moving were hooded dark eyes as he listened to various snatches of conversations in the apartments below. Light flared into being off to one side and he found his eyes drawn once again to the penthouse in the neighboring building. He should have moved on a few hours ago, but he was inexplicably drawn to the newest addition to Gotham City.

For the past few years, the Gruder Building had lain as vacant as the massive hulk to his back. That had all changed in the past month. New life was brought to the building though it still remained empty save for one occupant. The woman was no one of great importance, at least not that he had uncovered thus far. She was some crazy investor looking to cash in on the lowered real estate market in Gotham most likely. The locals may have held some amount of pride in the place but that was not reflected in the rest of the world. Just another rich vulture. And a rather boring one at that.

It didn't explain why he found himself there every Friday night. He did have other things to do than play some odd version of a peeping tom. Yet here he was, watching her drop her bags on the small kitchen table before disappearing into the bedroom to change so she could spend the next few hours taking out her frustrations on an exercise bag that hung where most normal people would have put a large dining room table.

He had never seen another person in the apartment with her, nor had he seen her on the phone much. And he thought he lived a lonely life. Another light flared in the distance, one that was certainly more important than some lonely single woman with a punching bag in her dining room.

The only thing different about today was that she didn't immediately start her evening work out. Instead, she rifled through one of the many boxes still scattered around the apartment. A flash of amber glinted in her hand - the lady was a scotch drinker. Out of a coffee mug of all things. Her conversation wasn't anything interesting, and he found it easier and easier to tune it out.

There were things he should have been doing. Something other than watching some lonely woman with one of the most boring lives he'd ever come across. She was harmless, and he needn't waste any more time on the matter.

Without a backwards glance, Batman left his lofty perch.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Lenorah Sorris, somewhat newly arrived member of the Gotham City _bon ton_, trudged wearily into her apartment after a long week of hearing bids from various architects on her building project. It wasn't that any of them were terrible or bad at what they did, she just hadn't been able to find anyone that "fit". For some, there had been too much ego in the way. She wanted someone who was actually going to listen to her and spend her money the way she desired to spend it.

Her normal routine was to change and take a few hours to pound away at the exercise bag in the dining room. Tonight she simply didn't have the desire or energy to do so. Somewhere in one of the boxes she hadn't unpacked yet was a rather decent bottle of scotch. It took a few minutes of rooting around before she unearthed it, but the amber liquid winked up at her the moment she did. Grabbing the first mug that came in contact with her hand, she poured a generous helping. Before she could begin to enjoy it, her cell phone started to ring.

"What do you want?."

"Well, aren't you just a ray of fucking sunshine."

A tired smile crept onto Lenorah's face. "Carrie, since when did you start using naughty words?"

"Since I met you." There was a faint chuckle on the other end. "Bad day?"

"Bad week."

"Ouch. You know, if you were here in Metropolis we'd be out partying right now. Meeting sexy guys - all that shit."

"You're married."

"I never said the men were for me."

Lenorah groaned. "I don't need a man Carrie."

"No hot, nasty, one night stand sex?"

"No."

"Party pooper. I still say -"

"Carrie, we're not talking about my love life. I will hang the phone up."

"Empty threat. I'm the only person who loves you enough to call you when you're home alone on a Friday night."

Lenorah remained silent. Carrie was the only person who called her anymore. She drifted towards the doors leading out onto the rooftop balcony.

"So, how's Gotham?"

"I have a great view of the city. I like it here."

"As long as you're happy. Of course, there's always room here in Metropolis for you."

"I know."

"Speaking of that ... um ... what are you plans say, middle of October?"

"It's March - why are you asking me about October?"

"Well, see ... um ..."

"Carrie?" Lenorah's brows drew down in concern.

"You're going to be an Aunti. And I want my bestest friend, adopted sister type person here when Junior arrives."

A Hello Kitty mug nearly fell to the floor. "Are you serious?"

"Um, hello? Would I kid about having a little monster growing in my stomach?"

"That's ... Oh my ... Carrie that's wonderful! How did David take the news?"

"He passed out - but you didn't hear that from me. Speaking of which, he just got home with my ice cream."

"I'm raising a toast to you - with that awful mug you bought me."

"You've converted to the cuteness then?"

"I needed something to put my scotch in. Bad manners to drink out of the bottle."

"You ... You're ... Only you would drink scotch from a Hello Kitty mug."

"What's wrong with that? I haven't unpacked everything yet."

"You're nucking futs, you know that?"

Lenorah grinned. "But of course. Well, I won't keep you from your ice cream. I learned that lesson our first semester together."

"That was a bad test day. I needed therapy."

"You bit me." She snorted.

"Yes, well ... We agreed to never speak of that incident. Do I need to bring up those ..."

"You said you burned those pictures!"

A gleeful cackle had Lenorah pulling the phone away from her ear. "You trusted me! That's so cute."

"Evil woman."

"Call me tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"Alright. Oh, he even bought sprinkles!"

"Good night Carrie. Tell David hello for me."

"Will do. Night!"

Shaking her head, Lenorah tossed her cell phone onto the couch and turned back to the windows. It was an excellent view of the city. From here Gotham looked like any other place she had lived. The only difference was she was here of her own choosing. No one said it would be easy to carve out her own little corner of the world.

She also hadn't expected it to be quite this difficult either. Perhaps she was still lost in childhood dreams - where anything seems possible because a person is too young to know any better.

Those illusions had been cast away when she had decided to start following her own path after high school - if not earlier. No one expected a trust fund baby to have to work through their college years. But if your parents cut you off for daring to do something different, you didn't have much of a choice.

It had certainly been an eye opening experience. Lenorah was certain she would not have survived if not for the crazy girl that had been assigned as her roommate that first semester. She and Carrie could not have been more different. Somehow it had worked out and they had managed a close friendship that still survived.

Something moved in the shadows on the building next door, pulling Lenorah from her memories. She blinked thinking she was simply imagining things. Two weeks in a row of seeing something though told her she was not. There was no further movement and she stepped back from the windows, making a mental note to go out and buy new curtains first thing in the morning.


	3. Part 2

A lone figure stood waiting in a large cavern, his gaze trained on the curtain of water that effectively hid the entrance. His calm demeanor was marred slightly by the scowl upon his face. The young master was late in getting back and though he should have been used to it by now, he couldn't sleep until he knew the idiot boy had returned.

"Great bloody fool."

Alfred's mutterings were cut short by a thundering rumble as an ungangly looking vehicle burst through the waterfall and slid to a stop a few feet away. He waited for the hatch to slide back revealing a cowl with pointed ears turned in his direction.

"You're up late Alfred."

"Yes, well, I've been playing answering machine all night." Alfred waited to continue until Bruce had climbed out of the newest Tumbler. The last two had met rather terrible ends.

"And ..."

"And, when I agreed to assist with this madness of yours, I don't recall saying I would handle your social calender as well. A Miss Muffy had to cancel for Wednesday night, and a Miss Bambi canceled for next Friday." Alfred took the cowl once it was off Bruce's head. "And four other young ladies called to let you know they are available."

"No matter, I can always find someone if I decide to go out."

"This coming Friday is the Thompson's charity event. You have already replied that you would be there - with a plus one in case you've forgotten. Bruce Wayne can't very well keep up appearances if he misses the biggest social event of the season."

Alfred's comments were met with stony silence. It was something he had grown accustomed to over the past few years. After Rachel's death, Bruce had turned inward, throwing himself more fully into the persona he had created in Batman.

Evenings of debauchery with attendant fluffy brained females had become a sort of necessary evil. One had to keep people from the truth after all. It wasn't something Alfred agreed with, but any comments to the contrary were met with a wall of silence that never fully came down. That didn't mean he ever gave up, just that differing tactics had to be called upon every now and then.

"Fine. I'll find a date for Friday night. Anything else?"

"There's a sandwich in the fridge if you decide you're hungry. Good night Master Bruce."

"Good night Alfred."

Bruce shed the rest of his armor after Alfred left, a disgruntled look on his face. There were times he rather hated having to be himself. Life was easier to deal with when it didn't involve having to rub elbows with the ignorant elite or make himself look like a fool with some skinny little model on his arm. Wearing the public mask of Bruce Wayne was necessary however if he wanted to continue on with his quest to free Gotham City from the darkness. It wasn't as if Batman drew in a paycheck for his services.

Making sure the storage vault was secured, he made his way over to a bank of computer monitors. A blinking icon told him the data he had been waiting for was finally ready. While he normally only checked on criminal activities, he had decided it best to find out whatever he could about the newest addition to Gotham.

"Lenorah Sorris, let's see who you are."

The file was no more exciting than what he had observed during his evening surveillance trips. Old money east coast family, not at the top of the food chain, but they weren't all that shabby either. Just another silver spooner who would probably end up over her head by trying to turn around a run down building in a less than stellar Gotham neighborhood.

"Hello there, what's this?"

Why did a girl from a wealthy family have to work two jobs while in college? It wasn't something one saw every day. Had it been more than idle curiosity, he might have considered digging deeper. As it was, she was just another little drop in a giant bucket. Someone to watch from the corner of your eye to pick up after when they crashed into reality.

More important that evening was an unexplained theft from a local art gallery. When Gordon had given him the file last week he had wondered why. Apparently there were no clues left other than a business card with a printed scan of a pair of lips. No finger prints, or hair, or anything else. The police were still working the case, but when something like this came up Gordon liked to get a second opinion. He had gone that evening to inspect the scene and see what he could find that would normally be missed.

A partial shoe print from the roof of the building told him he was looking for a woman - one that seemed to like spike heeled shoes. He didn't know if it was a one-time crime or something that would be repeated again soon. Only time would tell them that. As much as he hated to admit it right then, Bruce knew they would need the thief to strike again to gain a better profile of their criminal.

The police had already checked out the gallery employees. Everyone was happy with their job and all had a decent enough alibi for that night. With more resources at hand than the Gotham Police department, Bruce had his less reputable contacts watching various circles in the black market for the stolen painting.

It paid to have people in low places owe you a favor - or two - or more. If the thief attempted to unload their merchandise in Gotham, he would be the first to know.

Though the shoe print was only a partial, it was enough to narrow the field a bit. He could get an average size and work from there. It would at least narrow it down to a few thousand women in Gotham. As long as they were lucky enough to have their thief turn out to be a local resident. If not, it might take a while longer to find them. All in all it was at least a calm and easy case compared to others they had seen in Gotham.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

It was a little off schedule, but Batman found himself watching the Gruder Penthouse again off and on while he waited for the dealers around the corner to arrive. They must have assumed that Wednesday evenings were safe. As if Batman only worked the weekends. This group wasn't all that bright.

A waste of time if he thought about it. Thankfully that never factored into his plans. He couldn't help but grin when her lights came on. What good was it to install curtains and then leave them open?

As before, she set her things on the kitchen table and disappeared into her bedroom. Expecting more of the same routine, Batman turned his attention to the street below. There were a few people out, but not the ones he was looking for. A stereo came to life somewhere nearby with someone singing along rather badly. Bringing his eyes up, he was surprised at what he found.

She was dancing through her apartment in very little. He had never found what looked to be a men's dress shirt so enticing before. Certainly when it did absolutely nothing to hide the black lingerie underneath. Or, maybe it would have if she had bothered to button the damn thing. Her hair was down and loose, flying around like a dark silken cloud about her head.

While her boxing form may have needed a little help, she was fine everywhere else. Not if she could do ... whatever it was she just did ... while singing into a beer bottle. _What - no coffee mug?_

Berating himself for the momentary dalliance, Batman ignored the brief sensation that his suit was too warm in the chill of the evening and set his gaze once again on the street below. The ones he had been waiting for were there, and he had best be getting to work. Before he could swoop in, Alfred's voice sounded in one ear.

"There's been a jewelry heist at Fartham's. Same calling card as the gallery."

"On my way."

As if they had a mind of their own, his eyes flicked one last time back to the Gruder Building. They widened when the shirt came off, whipping around her head as she strutted through the living room with all the practiced ease of a stripper. Before his inner voyeur could go any further down its twisted little path, he launched himself towards the street below.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

The cops were still on the scene when he arrived. Fartham's was an upscale, custom order only jewelry store. Batman knew their security system was top of the line, and nothing was simply left out in the open to be grabbed in the first place. Things might end up more interesting that he thought if the thief was smart enough to pull this particular heist off. It was definitely someone above the average smash and grab job most of the locals did.

Even more intriguing was the fact it was a woman. Men dominated the upper levels of Gotham's criminal society. There were still too many of the old families around, and they weren't exactly equal opportunity employers. He doubted she worked with, or for, any of them.

The other side of the coin was the idea that an all female gang was on the rise. It would be an interesting change of scenery if it were true. At the present moment, it was hard to say if it was a group or a solitary operator. This was only their second heist, and just as clean as the last one he suspected.

Batman knew he wouldn't be able to study the scene well enough until it was cleared. As much as he wished he could get it done and overwith now, he still wasn't much of a favorite with a great many people. It didn't help that most of the people still against him were armed. Just because he was relatively safe behind high tech body armor didn't mean he wanted to put it to the test every time he turned around.

Besides, it wasn't as if Gordon wouldn't be sharing whatever their investigators came up with anyway. The roof looked clear enough, he could wait the few hours it would take for things to calm down before worrying about things at street level.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

**AN:**

Alrighty, those of you returning to my screwed up little universe here may remember a certain charity event coming up next. It's a great deal more fun this go around, though it's taking up more space that I intended it to. Either three chapters about the size of these last two, or two rather longer ones...haven't decided yet which idea I like better.

And just to get this out there - while this is generally set in Nolanverse (the whole splody Rachel bit) ... you will find details here and there from comics and also Batman - The Animated Series (the one that's still better than anything that came after it in my opinion...until they started adding Superman in and the art went to shit. I like Supes too, but they didn't have to screw Batman over just to add the boyscout to the lineup).


	4. Part 3

Lenorah exited the cab, gazing up at the Gotham Grand Hotel with no small amount of trepidation. Receiving the invitation to the Thompson's charity event a few days after she had arrived in the city had been a surprise. Not quite so much if she considered her family's name. Sorris was known as nice old money, even if they weren't from Gotham.

She hated the fact that her parents would be her ticket into Gotham's upper society. Lenorah would have rather made it on her own merits, but since she hadn't thought to change her name it was her own damn fault. And it was a little late to worry about it now.

It had taken Carrie half an hour that afternoon to talk her into going. She knew no one, and she was arriving alone. Thinking of those two facts again nearly drove her back into the taxi. But if she really wanted to make a go of it in Gotham, she needed to mingle with the upper ups. If there was a place for her to gain, she would need to claim it. At least all those etiquette lessons her mother had foisted on her would finally pay off.

"Just keep your mouth shut, smile and you'll do fine," she murmured as she climbed the stairs, earning a faint grin from the doorman.

The hotel interior was lush, though rather sickeningly over done with deep reds and gold. At the top of the central staircase she could see the doors to the main ballroom. Music from a string quartet drifted down, barely heard above the murmur of conversation.

Oblivious the appraising looks directed her way Lenorah started up the stairs. She could just imagine how it would look if she tripped on her gown with the way her nerves were right then. Something that sounded oddly like her mother chided her, but she shoved the voice to a far corner of her mind.

She recognized a few faces from trips around town and nodded a polite greetings as she made her way around the room. It would have been easier if she actually knew someone to make a few introductions. Seeing as this was her first social event since coming to Gotham, she wasn't sure who all she should be interested in knowing. The society pages could only tell a person so much.

Stopping by a display of auction items, she feigned interest while listening in on a few of the conversations nearby. The loudest was a group of women comparing everyone's dresses and other such inane comments about who was on some guy's arm. It felt oddly like being back in high school, and she hadn't particularly enjoyed that experience. Excited gasps and a few lustful sighs made her pause.

"Oh look, there he is."

"That man is just too delicious."

"Who is that hanging all over his arm? I don't recognize her."

Lenorah turned her head to see a man at the doors, a tall blonde in a gold dress hanging on his arm. She watched as he made his way around the room. He moved with a practiced ease, though it was very controlled - almost like a panther out stalking its prey. His eyes constantly scanned the room, but only someone who made a study of it would notice. She found herself agreeing on some level with the gaggle of ladies behind her. He was certainly easy on the eyes.

The sounds around her faded away as their gazes met. As cheesy as it sounded, she was reminded of the romance novels her friends would trade around their group whenever they needed an escape from studying. Tall, not so dark, but still handsome - with piercing blue eyes. Not a bright happy surfer blue, or dreamy artist blue, but the kind of blue that was hot and cold at the same time.

The kind of hot and cold thrill that made you check your underwear hadn't gone and melted - even if you weren't wearing any.

There was a mystery wrapped within a silent challenge. Lenorah had never shied away from a challenge, and she certainly wasn't going to start now. Hell, she didn't even know the man's name and it was a struggle to keep her thoughts on the straight and narrow.

Whoever he may have been, he was dangerous. Forbidden fruit - more so than any apple could have ever hoped to be.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Bruce had noticed her the moment he arrived. Of course, it wasn't all that hard to spot someone of her height amongst the crowd. Though she was covered with a dark blue dress that clung to every curve, he could not shake the image of her dancing around in her underwear. It had unfortunately … or not … burned itself into his brain.

Why such a thing bothered him he couldn't say. It wasn't like he hadn't seen an attractive woman undress before. Granted, he was usually a part of said undressing - perhaps that was what intrigued him more than anything else. How good a day did a woman have to experience to do a strip tease in the middle of her living room for no audience?

Donning his normal public smile, Bruce made his way slowly about the room. There were those who actually knew him somewhat, and those that liked to think they did. He didn't need to look around to know that most eyes were on him. The younger women were drooling, the men glaring, and that group of elderly matrons over in the corner was most likely clucking their tongues and shaking their heads. Such knowledge brought a smirking tilt to his smile as he slipped further into the role of cocky playboy.

"Bruce dear, who is this stunning creature on your arm?"

"Mrs. Helton, this is Mandy. Soon to be the biggest star of the Gotham fashion scene."

"How marvelous!"

As the two ladies chatted away about a great deal of nothing, he let his eyes roam the room. There was a group he would have to avoid sitting with, past dates glaring at his current one over dinner would not help the digestion. That particular couple was extremely boring that spoke only of their dogs. It was enough to put one to sleep during the soup course.

He continued on, exchanging a few nods with various people. And then, there she was, standing off on her own behind a group of twittering idiots.

Her body froze when he locked his gaze with hers. It merely served to increase his smirk at having caught her staring at him. Green eyes. That little detail was not easily seen perched on a ledge across the street. And none of the photographs he had uncovered did them justice either. Apart from her initial shock, her face gave nothing else away. Once again the image of lacy black lingerie came to mind.

She didn't back down from the challenge he presented, nor did she seem willing to blush and look away like so many others would. This was a most delicious discovery. Unfortunately an insistent tug on his arm meant he could no longer stare down another woman standing across the room.

Couldn't be neglectful of his date, Alfred had made him promise to attempt an evening without getting wine dumped over his head. Claret was rather difficult to get out of white evening shirts it seemed. Bruce's answer had been to simply buy more shirts. For whatever reason, that had not an acceptable response.

"Oh Bruce, my friends are over there. You remember Tiana and Kimberly?"

"How could one forget?" _Models are all the same_.

"Good lord, who in the world are they with?"

"Looks to be Edward Kingston and Miles North."

Bored indifference took over as the three women conversed, a look that was shared between the other two men. Kingston was the closest thing he had to a true competitor in Gotham. On the business end of things anyway. Competition was good for business. Except the man seemed to view him as a social rival as well. Bruce went along with it as it served to amuse him while he was stuck wearing his public mask.

"Looks like the three of them have forgotten we're here. And seeing as my glass has gone dry, I'm heading to the bar. All these damned waiters have is champagne and the worst tasting red wine I've ever swallowed."

Miles, ever the sheep to Kingston's wolf, heartily agreed. Bruce had nothing better to do right then and walked behind them, surveying the room as he went. Miss Sorris was no longer where he had first seen her, and she didn't turn up in his quick survey of the room. Right then would have been a perfect moment to make his introduction, with Mandy occupied by her friends. Ah well, there would certainly be other opportunities that evening.

"So, Wayne, what's this I hear about you looking to setup something in Metropolis?" Kingston smirked across the top of his glass.

"Nothing much. Just testing the waters."

"Of course not. I'm going to sit back and enjoy watching Luthor carve you into little pieces."

Bruce replied with a knowing grin. "Luthor and I have done business before. As you can see, I'm still in one piece today."

"Only you could make a deal with the devil Wayne."

Bruce shrugged and took in the aroma of the brandy in his hand. Someone approached the bar behind him, and he noticed Kingston seemed rather interested in whoever it was. As Kingston only ever came to attention if a woman was in the area, Bruce debated on turning around or not. It was the voice that decided it for him. Low and almost tired sounding - the voice of someone who was ready for the evening to be over already and dinner hadn't even been served yet.

"Scotch. Neat. Three fingers. Really fat fingers."

Bruce turned his back to the bar, taking in the voluptuous form in navy colored silk a short ways down. Kingston naturally had to interrupt his moment of observation.

"Who is that?"

"I don't know. There hasn't been an introduction yet."

"Dare I get to a woman before you Prince Wayne?"

Bruce was certain he heard her snort in disgust. Kingston was not doing a very good job of keeping his voice down. With her scotch safely in hand, she turned towards them. Green eyes flashed as they met with his, flicking quickly to the other man leering over his shoulder.

"Gentlemen."

She didn't stay long enough for them to say anything, let alone make introductions.

"Well played Kingston, I doubt she'll go near either of us ever again. Or should I say, she'll never give you the time of day after that?"

Bruce chuckled as the man stormed off. It wasn't hard to set Kingston off. The man had the world's shortest fuse, and an over inflated ego that bruised easier than an overripe pear.

For himself, Bruce held only a passing interest in Miss Sorris. Still, it would be fun to knock Kingston out of the game before it ever started. As long as he was careful, he could have a bit of fun for a few months at least.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Halfway through the main course, Lenorah was ready to jam a fork into her eye and be done with it. On her left was an older gentleman who hadn't gotten the memo that one ate with their mouth closed. To her right ... to her right was the damn arrogant piece of man shaped flesh every woman in the room seemed to be infatuated with. For her part, she couldn't see what was so special about Bruce Wayne. It was a wonder his ego even fit into the room.

The conversation about the table had been less than entertaining. Open mouth chewer would talk only of his investments between bites, his wife her aching knees. The two other couples all knew each other and talked of people only they knew. Mr. Wayne made conversation with his date. _If I have to hear that horrid giggle of hers one more time ..._ Lenorah stabbed rather viciously at a spear of asparagus.

"And what has that poor vegetable ever done to you?"

Gods but he had a voice made for seduction. She looked up, his mocking blue eyes were suddenly upon her. His irises held faint flecks of gold around the edges. Not that she cared about such things. Lenorah couldn't afford to succumb to the charms of Bruce Wayne - that would only end badly for everyone involved.

"It exists." She shrugged as she pushed it around her plate.

"Do you always attend social functions alone?"

"Not always. It was just so hard to find a man that matched my dress I was forced to go without such an accessory this evening." Lenorah grinned. "We women are so damned picky."

"Implying that men are not?"

To this Lenorah simply raised an eyebrow, her eyes darting over his shoulder and back to his face. "Why don't you tell me Mr. Wayne. Have I come up with the wrong generalization this evening?"

"I may not be the best person to ask a question such as that." He leaned closer, a playful smirk on his face. "I've always gone for quantity myself."

"I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree Mr. Wayne. Quality will always be more important in my little corner of the world." _Damn, he smells as good as he looks._ "Because quantity alone becomes rather boring in the long run if things don't ever change much."

"Do you speak from experience?"

"Perhaps."

Though it may have been fun to continue with harmless banter, they were starting to get odd looks from their table mates. Not the least of which being his date for that evening. All evening no one had paid her any attention. Heaven forbid she be allowed a few minutes conversation with the man sitting next to her.

Stifling the urge to roll her eyes and let a few obscenities slip out, Lenorah turned back to her plate. She had no desire to attempt small talk with the rest of the morons at the table. They hadn't shown themselves to be entertaining in the least. What little she had experience so far that evening did not endear her to Gotham's high society.

"Oh, have you heard? Someone was crazy enough to buy the Gruder building."

_Oh hell, will they notice if I leave right now?_ Lenorah wished she would have come up with an exit strategy earlier in the evening.

"Dear lord - why would anyone waste money on that old relic?"

"That whole neighborhood just needs to be torn down and rebuilt."

Lenorah bit down on the inside of her cheek, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Gotham's problems were not the criminals out on the street. Instead they were the idiots here in this room - or at this particular table at least.

"Rebuilt into what?" Wayne sat back in his chair, a further air of boredom surrounding him. "More poorly built, over-priced condos?"

"Be a damn sight better than what's there now. All those old run down buildings – just a breeding ground for more garbage."

"I'd hardly call honest hard working families garbage."

One of the other men shook his head. Lenorah had given up trying to remember any more names. "Mr. Wayne, not all of us can share in your rose tinted view of Gotham. I doubt there are that many honest people in that area."

"True enough," open mouth eater was at it again. "Whole damn city's just one giant mess."

"Then why are you here?" Lenorah ignored the tickle between her shoulder blades as all eyes ended up on her after her outburst. "If this city is truly as terrible as you all seem to believe, why not move? In the past three years you've seen a decrease in most major crimes, and outside of you people apparently, public pride in the city overall has risen. You know, those honest hard working people you seem to think don't exist."

"You are obviously new to Gotham. Your views will change - just give it enough time." The man looked a bit red in the face, as if he wasn't used to people talking back to him in such a manner.

"I am new, though I didn't move here on a whim. Months were spent on research before I decided to invest in Gotham's future."

"And how have you managed that?"

Lenorah took a drink before answering. "I purchased the Gruder Building."

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

**AN:**

Bugger it all. There's plenty I should be doing this evening, but after coming home to shity news in my inbox I decided writing therapy (after a heavy dose of Chocolate Mint Chip therapy) would be better. I'm still working on part two of this ... a rewrite of the rewrite cause I got a new idea on where to take it (which also means a few adjustments down the line, but all for the best supposedly).

Question for anyone who wishes to answer - y'all want to see some Raowr! ladies cat fight action? I didn't do much at all before (like none), but I've been considering it as I rework parts of this rewrite. Like some snarky words over desert in some posh restaurant to confuse our resident bat a little more. And I suppose a bit of fisticuffs ... but I'm digging some "we're in public and have to supposedly behave ourselves" type fun for some odd reason.


	5. Part 4

The table went quiet for a few moments as this revelation was digested. No one wanted to look her direction, and she was fine with it if they decided to go back to ignoring her. It was preferable to being thought insane.

Bruce smirked into his glass, waiting to take a drink. "And what plans do you have for your little building Miss Sorris?"

"Once everything is finished, I would like to see about some sort of housing assistance program. A lower income doesn't mean a person has to live in some shit hole of a slum."

"How many units?"

"Still working on that."

Mandy leaned forward around Bruce, a curious look on her face. "Haven't there been quite a few Batman sightings in that area?"

"Batman, peh," open mouth chewer scoffed. "A menace, that's all he is."

"And yet crime has gone down over the past few years, as Miss Sorris mentioned earlier."

"We could have accomplished the same with more men on the police force Mr. Wayne. I doubt the Joker would have wasted his time with Gotham if it wasn't for Batman. How long until we meet the next such psycho?"

Lenorah shook her head. "That's the chicken and the egg argument though. Metropolis is no better or worse than Gotham - and they have Superman. I doubt everyone there is happy about his presence."

"You have to wonder though what goes through a person's head to make them do something like that." The older woman shook her head.

Bruce chuckled, though only the two women sitting next to him heard it.

"I don't think that's it at all," Lenorah said.

"You don't think such a man is mentally unstable?" one of the other women asked.

"Not at all. I don't think he's any different from Superman or any of the other people we see on the news. Granted I don't know the man personally, but honestly now, how can one judge such a man when they know nothing about him?"

The group was silent for a few minutes, distracted by the wait staff removing their dinner dishes and bringing desert around. Lenorah caught Bruce leaning back in his chair with a yawn - one that didn't seem all that convincing. No one else at the table appeared to have noticed, so she filed it away for later.

It was rather entertaining to watch the reactions of the women at neighboring tables. She couldn't quite compare them to wolves, but she had seen similar looks on women at a designer shoe sale.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

"Thank you everyone for attending. Our silent auction has come to a smashing end thanks to each and every one of you. And now, before we finish our evening off by dancing into the morning, we've one last event." The master of ceremonies motioned for someone to join him on the stage. "Mrs. Thompson, if you'd do the honors ma'am."

"Thank you. This last event is a bit of a surprise, one I hope everyone will enjoy. A few lovely people in the room have agreed to add their name to a specific charity in the form of a singles auction. So, get those check books warmed up, we're about to have some fun."

Lenorah sighed and leaned into her hand. She hated singles auctions. People always spent too much money for a date with someone they knew nothing about. It was the worst form of judging a book by its cover known to man. Perhaps she'd simply see how many glasses of scotch she could down before the end of the evening.

At least the attention wasn't on her anymore. And the table was rather quiet without the presence of Mr. Pompous Ass with the mysterious eyes and delicious cologne - and his overly giggly date.

It would have been more fun if she knew someone to make snide little comments to while they snickered into their drinks. Lenorah sighed, realizing once again that she really needed to make a few local friends. At least she still had her phone. it meant she could keep up with a constant stream of texts to Carrie and avoid the boring moments of the singles auction. Had she been paying attention, she wouldn't have felt so surprised when the final person was announced.

"And we've saved the best for last ladies. One of my favorite charities is Music for All - which brings instructors and instruments into our schools - especially those in less affluent areas." Mrs. Thompson flashed her practiced smile around the room. "And lending his name to this wonderful cause is one of Gotham's favorite bachelors - Mr. Bruce Wayne."

Applause and a few excited cheers filled the room at this announcement. Lenorah stifled the urge to snort. He was just another rich asshole. One that smelled a little too good, and looked way too good in a tux - but that didn't mean a damn thing. It was simple lust. And it had been a while since ... better she not think along such lines as that. The last thing she needed after a horrible evening like this was a cold shower.

She made a note of the charity it was for - the only one that evening that had actually managed to catch her attention. A date with Wayne wasn't much of an enticement, but she would wait and see how the bidding ended up going. As popular as the man was he would no doubt go for a rather high price.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Bruce propped himself up against the podium. Mrs. Thompson had approached him shortly after he arrived about taking part in their singles auction. There had been a tinge of desperation to her request, as the individual he was replacing was laid up with a broken ankle.

He didn't mind helping out, and it would free him from having to worry about his social calendar for a day or two in the coming weeks. Some days that was more exhausting than being Batman. He knew what to expect then, for the most part, when he suited up for his nights about the town. It was anyone's guess as to what could happen when Bruce Wayne was on scene.

Whatever he had expected, it wasn't that the bids moved even slower than they had for Kingston moments before. He was Bruce Wayne for crying out loud! Had his star finally started to tarnish? It wasn't something he wanted to believe, but it was a possibility.

Or something else was afoot. Scanning the crowd, he noticed quite a few of the women deferring their bids in favor of a red head towards the front of the room. As his participation in the event was a last minute surprise, he wondered how they had organized themselves so quickly. Especially when she was someone he'd never considered dating.

They were barely up to three thousand when another voice cut through the background buzz in the room.

"Five thousand."

At least someone knew they were at a fund raiser auction. He sought out the newest bidder, concealing his surprise at it being Miss Sorris. She had made for interesting conversation, better than anyone else at the table that evening anyway. And he couldn't deny that she was even more attractive up close.

She was a dangerous one though - independent and intelligent. Both qualities he might have valued if things had been different. Were he any other man in any other situation, he probably would have pursued her. Despite what Alfred wished, Bruce knew he couldn't afford to spend too much time around a woman who could put two and two together.

Not since Rachel - the one against whom all others were measured and found wanting. The one that could never be replaced.

"Ten thousand."

Bruce refocused his attention on the auction. It was still between Lenorah and the red head down front. Everyone else appeared to have dropped out while the two of them duked it out. Though, it wasn't much of a fight - Red honestly didn't stand much of a chance. She was too desperate and growing flustered. No doubt reaching her spending limit. Or perhaps had already gone past it and wasn't willing to give up yet. Stupid really. From what he'd observed, Miss Sorris tended to play for keeps.

Lenorah had rolled her eyes and gave her head a bit of a shake when he caught her eyes on him. Bruce grinned and glanced at his watch, quirking an eyebrow in silent challenge to hurry things up. He couldn't push it too much, or she'd leave him at the mercy of Red. That was a fate he wasn't sure he wanted. Certainly not when Red let out a very desperate sounding bid of twenty-five.

He wasn't sure if the little puppy pout was a good look for him, but he was contemplating using it.

"Fifty thousand."

A ripple of shock ran through the room. There hadn't been action like this at an auction in a good long while. Proof positive that bringing in new blood every now and then was a good idea.

"Sold, to the high bidder there in that lovely Mia Kun silk number."

Bruce sagged slightly in relief. At least he could look forward to decent conversation on this particular overpriced date.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Lenorah ignored the latest text to set her phone buzzing. It was only Carrie congratulating her on the best money ever spent. Why her best friend decided she needed a man in her life was something Lenorah had stopped trying to figure out. Let alone one she had just paid way too much money for.

She'd told herself earlier she wasn't interested in a date with Wayne at all. The man was too ... she couldn't really say what right then. And yet, the idea wasn't sounding quite so terrible. Of course, what her dirty little mind seemed to want was something she never did even on a fourth or fifth date - let alone a first - or only.

The only thing left to do was pay up, tell the man she wasn't interested, and go home. Something told her things wouldn't work out quite as easy as all that. They never had in the past. There was little to suggest things had changed for her over the years. She had never been _that_ lucky.

Getting to her feet, she finally noticed that most eyes in the room were on her. During the auction, she hadn't paid a great deal of attention to what was going on around her. People were reacting like they'd never seen someone bid at a charity auction. Her initial reaction was to sit back down and hide. Thankfully the annoying little voice that sounded like her mother talked her out of it.

"I'm sorry, I thought this was a fund raiser." She flashed a rather saccharine grin before making her way towards the checkout table.

The volume of murmurs rose as she crossed the room. Mixed in with a few congratulatory calls were a few poorly veiled insults, no doubt from friends of the woman she had been bidding against. At least the ladies at the payment table had welcoming smiles for her.

"Here's our star of the evening. Now, how would you like to pay dearie?"

"Do I just make it out to the intended charity?" Lenorah paused as she opened her clutch. "I - I brought the wrong check book. This is embarrassing."

"Big spender can't put her money where her mouth is?"

It was easier to ignore how he affected her when he spoke. "I wasn't expecting to waste quite so much money on a worthless lump of man."

"Now Mr. Wayne, you behave yourself." The overly cheerful matron turned her attention back to Lenorah. "For an amount like that dearie we're not too concerned about collecting the night of. Just sign this stating your bid amount."

"Thank you. I'll have my accountant take care of it Monday morning."

Signing the form and passing it back, Lenorah did her level best to ignore the man standing behind her. Being in such close proximity had her pulse quickening, and the room was growing uncomfortably warm. Where was the annoying giggly blonde that had helped distract her earlier?

"That should do it. I hope we see you again in the future Miss Sorris."

"Hopefully. It was an - interesting - evening."

Her smile felt like it was ready to fall off her face. Whoever said the action took less muscles had obviously never had to attend high society functions. Directing a nod to the ladies at the table, she turned towards the exit.

"Miss Sorris, aren't you forgetting something?"

Lenorah sighed. "Am I Mr. Wayne?" Instead of turning around, she paused at the top of the stairs to adjust her shawl.

"You're the one who just purchased me at a singles auction."

"Is that so? I recall agreeing to donate money to some group who gives music lessons to underprivileged kids. Were you a part of all that?"

Bruce chuckled and shook his head. "Alright, I get the picture."

"No, you don't. Be a gentleman and escort me out to catch a cab, won't you?" She took his offered arm, leaning closer as she lowered her voice. "Not here, there's a room full of rather nosy ears. One must keep up appearances after all."

"This way it will look like we're discussing the date you apparently don't want."

"It's not that I'm against such an event, it's just always felt like forcing a person to do something they might not otherwise agree to." She studied his profile. "You're under no obligation to do anything - really."

"Would you change your mind if I said it wouldn't feel like an obligation?"

"Forgive me for saying so Mr. Wayne, but one date would hardly be satisfactory."

He grinned. "After what you just spent, I could see that."

"I wasn't talking about money." Lenorah pulled away as they neared the door. "I'm looking for more than a one night stand Mr. Wayne, and unless I've really missed the mark, that's all you're interested in. Perhaps we could do lunch or something if we ever run into each other again."

"Miss Sorris -" He looked as though he wanted to stop her, but held himself in check.

"Enjoy the rest of your evening Mr. Wayne. It ... It was a pleasure to meet you."

Lenorah slumped in relief as soon as the cab door closed behind her. Her thoughts drifted towards her parting comments to Bruce. She may not have been looking for wedding bells (she wasn't sure she ever wanted those) but she definitely wanted something more on the long term end of the spectrum. And there was no way she would ever get anything like that from Bruce Wayne.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

**AN:**

And thus the conclusion of our little fund raiser event. I have to say it was inspired just a bit by the animated series "The Cat and the Claw - part 1" ... even if I find that Catwoman a little too much on the environmental activist side. It's just me though as it feels a little too much like repeating what they did with Poison Ivy, only animals instead of plants. Made the two of them too similar IMHO, but that's just random jibber jabber.

I'll just shut up now and get this thing posted.


	6. Part 5

"Commissioner, here's that report you requested."

"Thank you Detective."

Gordon flipped open the folder resting on his desk. Nothing new. That was just great. Right now, his only hope was that Batman had managed to come up with something more than nothing. They had thought catching this upscale burglar would have been easier. Whoever she was, they found themselves at a loss.

There was no pattern to the crimes - not that they could see anyway. First a gallery, then a jewelry store. Two very different targets, two very different items stolen. The only reason they knew it was the same person was because the thief was egotistical enough to leave a calling card each time. Another one given to theatrics.

As long as they kept to rather harmless thefts, things would go well enough Gordon supposed. The Joker was done and gone, and he had no desire to see anything like that again anytime soon. Undoubtedly it would happen again in the future. That was the nature of things. One of his desk drawers let out a faint beep. That only meant one thing - someone was waiting for him on the roof.

There was still a bit of a chill in the spring evening, causing Gordon to tug his jacket around him tighter. It wasn't as bad as the middle of winter, but there were times he wished that he could have these little meetings in the comfort of his office. That would not go over well with others in the department however. And so here he was.

"Anything new?"

Gordon turned towards the gravelly voice. "Not on our end. And you?"

"Female, probably late twenties - early thirties, size eight stiletto heels."

"That narrows it down to what - a few thousand in the city? If she's from Gotham in the first place."

"On the surface, the two thefts have a common theme."

Gordon paused. This was news to him - and the reason he had asked for help in the first place. "What have you discovered?"

"Cats."

"Cats?"

"The painting was 'Lady with Cat' and the jewelry is self explanatory. A bit cliche perhaps depending on what they go after in the future."

"Of course. Why didn't we see that before?" Gordon opened his file again.

"Because you were concentrating on how it happened and not what was taken."

With that, Gordon found he was alone on the roof again. "I hate it when he does that."

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Spring had finally come to Gotham City. At least, Lenorah assumed that's what the current weather was supposed to signify. The whole thing about April showers and May flowers just didn't add up. Not when it hadn't stopped raining for what felt like the past two weeks or so.

Things had been rather quiet since the charity auction. Of course, she hadn't really gone out much since then. There was a great deal of work to be done on the building, as well as just sorting out paperwork for various other ventures. Lenorah had to make sure every 'i' had its little dot, and every 't' a clear cross bar if she wanted to be able to offer low income housing opportunities. Government involvement meant things could never be quick and easy.

When lines and numbers began to blur together in odd little squiggles, Lenorah knew it was time for a break. An empty pantry meant that break would have to be somewhere else. She had used up her "I'm a hermit this month" stores already. There was always take-out, but she'd had enough of that as well.

One quick, though somewhat dirty, train ride later had her strolling through the downtown shopping district. There was a light drizzle, but not enough to force her to seek shelter like many of the other bodies pushing past her. It wasn't much, just a five block area along two streets, but they had restored the buildings and installed a variety of upscale boutiques and restaurants to entice people's money from them. Lenorah was more interested in the buildings themselves.

She stopped in front of a brown brick affair, attracted to the small scale gargoyles that didn't seem as out of place as they would have somewhere else. It was like a small slice of the Notre Dame cathedral shoved into downtown Gotham. The Gruder building didn't have any - but the neighboring one did. Not even finished with one project and here she was already dreaming up the next.

Resolving to find out who her neighboring land owners were, she resumed her stroll. Her gaze still on the buildings meant she put a little extra trust in the people around her to avoid any awkward collisions. That certainly wouldn't save her from anyone paying as little attention to the people around her as she was. As she discovered only a few minutes later.

At first, she thought she'd walked headlong into a light pole. Except poles didn't put out a helping hand when they knocked a person over.

"I'm sorry about that I - Miss Sorris?"

Lenorah's eyes trailed up the well dressed arm, across one broad shoulder to a rather familiar face. "Mr. Wayne? I thought I'd walked into a pole there for a minute."

"Seems neither of us were paying attention to where we were going." He grinned as he pulled her to her feet.

"Sorry about that. I've just been ogling the restored buildings." She waved her hand around them. "One building doesn't seem as daunting when a person views all this."

"Unless that one building is seventeen stories of apartments in a less than desirable neighborhood. I certainly don't envy you that."

"Now don't talk like that." She sighed. "Otherwise you'll sound like the rest of those stuffed shirt morons."

"Why would that matter?"

"Because Mr. Wayne, I thought you more intelligent than that. I don't like to waste my time with stupid people. Good day to you sir."

Lenorah didn't make it very far before her name rang out behind her. She turned and waited as he strolled towards her.

"Miss Sorris, you have the bad habit of commenting and leaving before a person can reply. Someone could interpret it as being rude even."

She studied him a moment before breaking eye contact. She scrubbed a hand over her face. It was rude, but only pertaining to him. Lenorah had to keep the man at a distance. To give into what she wanted to would only complicate things. Still, he'd noticed it enough to comment on it.

"I'm sorry Mr. Wayne. I didn't mean ... I end up a little out of sorts when I'm hungry." She studied him a moment. "Have you eaten yet? Nothing worse than eating alone in public."

"Miss Sorris, are you asking me out on a date?"

Lenorah rolled her eyes. "I only asked if you were hungry Mr. Wayne. Lunch between two hungry people who happened to bump into each other on the street does not constitute a date."

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Bruce swallowed the urge to grin again. Had he actually managed to find a woman more commitment shy than he was? He knew she wasn't intentionally rude, as he used similar tactics himself from time to time. She was certainly fun to tease though.

"Terry's Grill is just around the corner here. It's late enough we've missed the main lunch rush."

"Alright then Mr. Wayne - lead the way."

She fell in step beside him. From the corner of his eye he could see her attention had returned to the buildings around them. It wasn't like a tourist gawking at the sights, like the older couple behind them, but a more appreciative eye gathering data for future use.

They hadn't been in each other's company since that night at the fund raiser. Batman had even stayed away from her neighborhood for a few weeks now. Well, from her particular little corner anyway. He couldn't afford to ignore so many people for the sake of avoiding one particular woman who had become lodged in some small little corner of his brain. If anyone were to ask him about it, he wouldn't have been able to explain it. That was after he denied it in the first place.

Bruce was glad they didn't draw much attention when they entered the restaurant. With no familiar faces there, he might actually get to enjoy a quiet lunch - one without any strings attached to it. At least, he hoped there weren't any strings attached. The somewhat mischievous smile on her face had him a little worried.

"What would you say to an abbreviated sort of twenty questions? Avoidance of serious topics, and no punishment for avoidance of questions. Unless one were to avoid all questions, because that wouldn't be much fun and this will probably be a boring awkward lunch."

"I will have you know I'm anything but boring. Except, isn't this a game for kids?"

"I never played it until I got to college. My roommate turned it into a get to know each other game - with a bottle of Jack Daniels of course. That first weekend was rather interesting."

"Trying to get my deep dark secrets out Sorris? I don't think they'll be happy if I return to the office a slobbering drunk."

She looked at him with mock horror. "Oh hell no. You think I want that sort of responsibility? Unless you really don't want the rest of the world to know things like favorite colors and pudding flavors."

"You're serious?"

"You have a better idea? Aside from watching each other eat. Because I got out of the house to escape anything business related. That's the one thing you can't talk about."

The arrival of their food gave him a moment to analyze what he had gotten himself into. It wasn't as if he was being forced to do this, she had asked his opinion before launching into a batch of stupid, useless questions. There was a small part of him that said he owed her given his past Tom peepery. That was only if he admitted that the scene still played out on occasion when he let his mind drift.

He shouldn't have allowed it to affect him as much as it had. Except when he pictured a lonely strip tease he wasn't thinking about the only other event that never left him. He hadn't been there to see it, but it wasn't hard to picture an exploding building taking away the one person he would have given everything up for.

Brooding into his plate would get him nowhere. With a quick glance up, he saw she was giving him a questioning look, a handful of fries paused on their trip to be eaten.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes."

Bruce doubted that she believed him, but she wasn't going to push the issue either. Any other woman he'd been in public with would have. It was that more than anything else that decided it for him.

"Alright then Sorris, favorite color."

She looked a little shocked that he'd asked the question, swallowing slowly before answering. "Copper."

"Copper is not a color."

"Oh no you don't rich boy - it's as much a color as silver or gold and all three exist in a box of crayons. No dissing the other person's answer if you haven't answered the question yet yourself."

He caught the flash of delight in her eyes as she leaned forward, either daring him to answer or debate the issue more. One word tumbled out before he even realized he was speaking.

"Green."

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

**AN:**

I can just hear some of you yelling at me "BUT WHY didn't you finish the twenty questions over lunch? You evil, nasty )%$(($!" Two reasons - I'm tired and wanted to get this posted before the weekend AND sometimes it's more fun when not everything is handed to you by the author. Now you the reader are set to finish the lunch scene in your own heads and play a game of twenty questions however you like.

That isn't to say that there won't be references to said lunch game episode later on when the situation calls for it, but I didn't feel much of a need to script out their entire lunch conversation.

Updates will come out as soon as I can get them done - since I'm having to rework a few more scenes now - and this was all new pretty much except for the bit with Gordon. Some might go faster than others, but barring more family dinners keeping me away from home, you should get something at least once a week.

Glad y'all are enjoying it. =)

And though it's been a while since I had me a box of crayons, I do remember one of the big ones once upon a time having all three metalic colors mentioned ... so I'm not just pulling that out of thin air.


	7. Part 6

Things were going well. The trinkets would fetch enough to keep other ventures running, and the thefts served to distract everyone from the real reason of the break-ins. So far the police hadn't managed to figure anything out.

Of course, she had no idea if that damn meddling bat had put the pieces together. If anyone would eventually figure her scheme out, it would be him. As long as she was careful and didn't fall prey to doing something overly stupid, she would probably get away with it. Gotham wasn't known for its resident brains - or lack thereof.

They scurried past in the rain. All the foolish little people in this dark dingy city who were so easily separated from their wealth. Like the rather foolish woman who shelled out fifty thousand at a singles auction and hadn't wanted what she purchased. It made little sense - why buy something if you weren't going to use it at least once?

Perhaps a manly diversion would keep her distracted from rushing into something stupid. Then again, going after a man in itself was probably less diversion and more stupid. Unless a prime suspect were to walk through the door. That would mean little work for herself.

Yes, that would be best. The gallery wasn't crammed with customers all day every day, but they did a steady enough business. She knew she didn't want anyone too old, that wasn't much fun. Just as bad was someone too young - not enough experience at anything to be worthwhile. It was damn hard to find that "just right" middle ground. Never hurt to look though.

Like the prime candidate that was paused out front right then. Expensive custom tailored suit, and the body in it wasn't all that bad either. Hazel eyes flashed in annoyance at the rather drab looking woman standing next to him. A significant other would complicate things, and she really wished to avoid complications.

Thankfully the woman waved and threw her badly dressed self into a taxi. It would be too much to hope that Mr. Hot Suit would decide to enter the gallery. She sent a little prayer to whoever might be listening to urge him towards the door.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Lunch had been more entertaining and relaxing than Bruce had first thought. He couldn't say they had learned anything important about each other, but he was beginning to suspect that had been the point. It was a simple silly game between friends. Because none of the women hoping he'd take them for a tumble insisted on sticking to his last name. Returning the favor was easy enough. Hell, the woman seemed to have welcomed it.

He wasn't needed back at the office. Probably a good thing right then since he wasn't feeling all that productive anyway. His original purpose for wandering around downtown Gotham had been to survey the galleries and jewelry stores that could be a potential target for future burglaries.

The two previous thefts were held together with the slimmest of threads. It sounded good if one didn't delve too deep, but Bruce wasn't so sure anymore that feline themed collectibles were the actual purpose behind everything. Of course, it could really be that simple and he was simply trying to over complicate everything.

Above him a worked metal sign identified one of the galleries on his list. It looked rather empty right then. Something he hoped would work in his favor. The interior was done in soft gray monotones, letting the pieces stand out without trying too hard. Bruce schooled his features as one of the gallery attendants came to welcome him.

"Welcome to Primrose Gallery. Is there anything I can help you with today?"

She was of medium height, with dusty blonde hair coiled around her head in a rather involved looking set of rolls. While her job may have been to sell art, the only thing Bruce could see in her eyes was seduction. It certainly wasn't anything new. And he could always afford to take one for the team if need be.

"I thought I'd just browse and see if anything caught my eye." He gave her a roguish wink.

"Don't hesitate to ask if you need assistance with anything." She leaned towards him. "Anything at all."

She was pouring it on a little thicker than it needed to be. It had obviously been a while since someone worth hitting on had walked through the door. The poor thing must have been out of practice. Bruce guessed that was as good an explanation as any other.

None of the paintings were all that spectacular. Nothing he couldn't live without anyway. Primrose was known more for the team of restoration experts hidden away in the back room and less for the few local artists who exhibited there. The second floor supposedly boasted one of the better sculpture collections in the area, but that was well outside his scope of interest. He was better off flirting with the over eager sales girl at the front desk.

"Did you see anything you liked?"

Bruce perched on a corner of her desk. "That depends - do you have any plans for this evening?"

"I don't know. We're not supposed to date the customers."

"It's a good thing I didn't buy anything then. How does _Beauchene_ at eight sound?"

Her eyes lit up. "The new French place? Don't they have a three month wait list?"

"Not if you're friends of the owner." He grinned, leaning in closer as she did earlier. "You wouldn't leave me to eat out on my own, would you?"

She seemed a little flustered at having her own tactics turned against her. It didn't take long for her to recover though. "Maybe we should introduce ourselves first. Selina Kyle."

"Bruce Wayne."

"I ... uh ... eight works just fine. Will it be alright if I meet you there?"

"Great, I'll see you later."

Bruce left her with a wink and a nod. A small part of him wondered what he'd just gotten himself into, but it was too late to back out now.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Lenorah stumbled towards the kitchen. She was in desperate need of coffee, though a few more hours of sleep would have been more welcome right then. Of course, a person needed to have gotten any in the first place. Why her childhood nightmares had returned was a question she hadn't been able to answer yet. And she had no desire to visit yet another shrink. The last five hadn't been able to do anything but give her pills that only made things worse.

Lunch the day before had been rather interesting. It was hard to imagine she'd played a game of twenty questions over burgers and fries with Bruce Wayne. He was a decent enough guy when he dropped the whole asshole playboy bit. Too bad that part of him only appeared on rare occasions when no one else was around.

In the past it was something she would have called Carrie and spent all evening gossiping about. This time around it hadn't felt like something she should be sharing. She was certainly reluctant to even mention they'd had lunch together - because her friend would want details and Carrie was the one person in the world Lenorah couldn't lie to.

After a mug of coffee, she finally felt ready to make a trip down to ground level to fetch a paper. The contractor had assured her at least one of the elevators would be back in working order soon - she was still waiting to see how long that "soon" was going to be. In the mean time, she got however many trips up and down seventeen stories of stairs. It was usually enough of a workout she didn't have to do much else to exhaust herself so she could sleep.

The crew was busy unloading a truck when she finally reached the lobby. Waiting inside the stairwell was the hardhat they had given her whenever she was going to be making a trip through.

"Good Morning Miss Sorris."

"Hey Frankie, how's your sister doing?"

"She's starting to feel a little better. Doctor said the worst is past us now."

"That's good to hear. Has the paper arrived yet?"

He waved an arm towards the main doors. "I think there's a pile of stuff by the front door ma'am."

"Thanks!"

There was a bit of a maze in getting to the front door. Not that anyone could really use it with the construction barricade up. One of the men had been nice enough to make a drop box for mail and other deliveries. It made things easier in some ways, and considering the stack of 2x4s she had to crawl behind, it made things a little more difficult.

Junk mail went immediately into the large trash bin in the middle of the room. The paper came very close to following it a few moments later. At least, the society section she could have done without. Unfortunately in Gotham it was more important than any other section - even the financial reports. And there in full color glory was a moron and his blonde hussy of a date.

"How can anyone take him seriously?"

Lenorah shook her head, leaving the comics for the crew to read on their breaks. She was halfway through her trek when her phone started to ring. There was no effort on her part to stifle the snort of laughter when she saw who was on caller ID.

"Did you know you made the paper? Big full color photo of you and some hussy in a wig."

There was a rather tired sounding groan on the other end. "Give a guy a break Sorris, it's too early."

"You called me Wayne."

"Oh, right. Why am I on the phone with you this early in the day?"

She rolled her eyes, pausing on a landing to catch her breath. "How the hell am I supposed to know that?"

"You in the middle of exercising or something?" He spoke around a rather large yawn.

"Just the first of my round trip stair climb. I told you yesterday my elevators are all down for another week or so."

"Oh ... right ..."

The stairs weren't going to climb themselves so she resumed her climb while the man on the other end of the phone did whatever it was he was doing. She had known a few people in college that liked to crank call when they were drunk, but those calls never lasted more than few minutes. Lenorah doubted Bruce was attempting to pull such a prank, but it wasn't like she knew the guy real well yet.

"Bruce? Did you fall asleep on the phone?"

"Wow, you used my first name."

"Please tell me you're just really really tired and not prank calling me while drunk."

"I'm perfectly sober." He even managed to sound offended that time.

"Right. Look, if you don't have anything important to tell me right now, I'm going to terminate communications. I can't afford to be on the phone all day talking about nothing."

"Was there an insult buried in that somewhere?"

"Probably. Get some sleep you moron - you'll need to rest up for your next outing with whatever little hussy you come across."

"Hey, she was a nice girl once you got to know her."

Lenorah snorted. "I thought you had a brain. A few hours over food and wine is only enough to determine if you're going to agree to seconds or not. And why am I discussing this date with you the morning after? Did you see 'chump' tattooed on my forehead yesterday?"

"You must have fallen off the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"Falling off either side implies one was in their bed in the first place."

"Oh, and where were you if you weren't in your bed to fall out of it?"

"Mr. Wayne, I bid you good day."

Lenorah scowled at her phone as she ended the call, shoving it into a pocket as she rounded another set of stairs. Wayne was the most confusing man she'd met in a long time.

A very long time.

And the worst part about it all was she still wanted more. She didn't want to understand everything about the man, but she still enjoyed his company - even when he was at his most annoying. Like a few moments ago when he no doubt called her in his sleep. It was the only explanation she had for how far from normal he had acted. The man hadn't even been that chatty at lunch the day before!

The main question was - why in the hell call her and not just talk to the blonde he'd no doubt gone home with. If he hadn't, then he could just as easily called his latest little play thing and annoyed her at eight in the morning.

Perhaps she wouldn't have found it all so annoying if she'd gotten a few more cups of coffee in her system before he'd called. There were too many what ifs to play with right then, and she hadn't had enough sleep to really want to deal with it.

Bruce Wayne and his particular brand of craziness was the least of her concerns.


	8. Part 7

It was impossible to say exactly when the evening took a turn for the worse. There had been any number of better choices a girl could have made, unless their name was Lenorah and they liked putting themselves in somewhat sticky situations. Unfortunately, the only person she had to blame for it all was herself.

Maybe that wasn't the whole truth, but it sure as hell felt like it.

"Would you like to start from the beginning again Miss?"

It was hard to resist the urge to smack the snarky grin off the detective's face. "No. What I want is for you to either charge me with something or get the hell out of my way. Or do I need to wake my legal team up - they'll be more than happy to stir-fry you.

Before the detective could make more an ass of himself, the door swung open to admit the commissioner himself. Lenorah got to her feet, though the door was still blocked a bit.

"Miss Sorris, we're terribly sorry about the mix up. Officer Meyers will escort you home if you wish."

"No offense, but I've had enough of you all to last me a while. Do expect a visit from my lawyers in the morning."

There was a tired and heavy sounding sigh behind her as she passed through the door. No doubt the commissioner looking forward to more crap behind piled on his desk from this. On a normal day, she probably would have tried to make his life a little easier. No one was going to get away from this night without a few bumps and bruises – least of all the idiot detective who hadn't done a proper fact check and came down on her because of how she'd dressed that evening before heading to the club.

Lenorah knew exactly what she looked like that evening - a well funded former stripper. It still wasn't an excuse to treat her or any of the other girls like shit. She hoped the others had gotten someone more understanding to talk to, if they'd been dragged in like she had. Truth be told, she hoped they hadn't. There wouldn't be much outrage over a few Club Zorellie dancers hauled in by the police. No doubt the papers would have a field day if her name ever got out. Part of her wanted such to happen, while the rest of her just wished for it to remain quiet.

Deciding to visit the club that evening had been her first mistake. Stepping into the fight when Catwoman, or whoever the little bitch was, had been the second mistake. It had also been the stupider of the two. How was she supposed to know Batman had only been minutes behind the little thief?

Grainy out of focus pictures in the papers had certainly not done the man any justice. It had been hard to get a proper look at him in the chaos of the club, but what she'd seen had been more than enough to pique her interest. She was probably crazy to find a masked vigilante in body armor rather sexy.

That idea was a little unsettling because she hadn't had that much to drink before everything went to shit. The whole evening would be easier to explain away if she'd just been drunk off her ass. Like not paying much attention to where she had been headed after leaving the station.

Looking around, Lenorah had no idea where she was. "Great. What else can go wrong for me today?"

Her answer came only moments later as a large hand clamped itself around her arm and pulled her into the shadows behind her.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

He had chased his prey through most of downtown – only to lose her in the chaos of a rather full strip club. After a particular patron – a rather surprising addition to the evening he admitted to himself – attempted to stop her. There had been too many similarly dressed women at that point that the damned thief had been able to slip away before anyone was the wiser.

A search of the area had gotten him nowhere, and the police had finally arrived on the scene by the time he returned. Batman had caught a glimpse of Lenorah's face as she was bundled off in a squad car and held no pity for the detective on the receiving end of her anger. From what he had overheard, the man assumed she was just another stripper. Allowing herself to be taken in seemed to have saved the rest of the girls at the club from a similar fate. Unfortunately, it also meant he had to wait for her to be released before getting answers himself.

From the looks of things, it was a good idea to have waited. A woman in such a getup could easily be mistaken for something she wasn't. As distracted as she seemed it wouldn't have been hard for someone to pull her into an alley with less than reputable intentions. She had stopped right in front of him without realizing she wasn't alone.

Taking hold of her arm had seemed like a good idea when it first came to him. Not so much when she started beating him about the head with her purse. Most women would have screamed bloody murder. He'd discovered in his short time knowing her that Lenorah was anything but average.

It was nearly comical the exact moment she realized he wasn't a normal attacker. "You - what the hell is wrong with you? You don't just grab someone and pull them into a dark alley. You -"

A hand over her mouth was the quickest way to silence her. Batman found himself rather glad he wore gloves - it looked as if she might have bitten him otherwise.

"I have questions."

She stopped struggling and glared at him. He wasn't sure it would be a good idea to release her right then. There would be no answers as long as his hand covered her mouth though. Lenorah finally nodded, taking a deep breath when he stepped back. It came out as an explosive sigh, but she didn't start to rant and rave at him again.

"Do I have to answer them here? I'm tired, hungry, and I think that little bitch stuck something in my foot ..." Her brows scrunched up, eyes darting wildly back and forth at nothing. "Shoes - dammit why didn't I see it earlier? Can you get me back to the club?"

He turned and made his way further into the alley. Back to where he had left his borrowed ride. Batman made ready for another outburst, but was rather surprised at her subdued reaction.

"Um ... it's really nice you brought my bike. Creepy as hell though when you consider it - because I doubt you're lucky enough to just guess which one belonged to me."

There was no safe answer to that one. As he considered himself rather intelligent, he chose to keep his mouth shut. She could deal with it and just climb on behind him. Another thing he hadn't expected was to wish he was in playboy disguise. It was difficult to feel a woman pressed up against one's body if armor was in the way. He was still human after all.

She tapped him twice on the head to signal she was ready, her arms snaking around his waist. It wouldn't take long to return to the club. He wasn't sure why, or what answers one could get from a pair of shoes, but it was more than he'd had the day before. Batman knew that whatever he learned, it would be something the police themselves would never learn.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

He stopped at the rear entrance as instructed. The door had no outside knob and he expected a knock and a speakeasy viewer to slide open. What he wasn't expecting was for her to press one of her shoes in the middle of the bottom panel and hear the click of a lock releasing.

"Little boys in masks aren't the only ones with fun toys." She grinned and waved him into the shadows of the back room. "Let me talk to them first, if anyone is still around."

Lenorah left him between some garish sparkling stage props. Her voice carried easily through the quiet building. He couldn't say why he didn't much like the idea of her going it alone, but there was just a feeling in his gut. Not knowing the layout of the place didn't help much either. Moving closer to the hall she had disappeared down, he picked up the low voices of two women in hasty conversation.

"Lee dear, did they do anything to you?"

"I'm fine Mama Zee. That detective will be scrubbing toilets with his teeth by the time my lawyer is through with him in the morning. I came back to ask a bit of a favor. Did you notice what that little bitch had on her feet?"

"I did. Set off the alarm in my office. Her file is garbled though, like someone tried to erase it but did a rather poor job of it."

"Would it be possible for me to get a copy of her file? I ... I have a friend that might be able to help."

"This friend have pointy ears and a cape?"

There was a pause before Lenorah answered. "Maybe."

"You'd best be careful. Never trust a man who won't show his face."

"That would be a little hypocritical coming from the girl who wouldn't get on stage without having her face covered. Bar tending was easier on the ego."

"You were a wonderful dancer - and that's the only reason I'm risking my job to give you a copy of these files."

There was a bit of shuffling and rustling fabric. "Thank you Mama Zee."

"Now, you and your ... friend ... had best make yourselves scarce. Still a pair of uniforms out front."

Lenorah reappeared a few moments later, a rather large grin on her face. "How good are you at reconstructing computer files?"

"Depends."

"Yes, well ... get me the rest of the way home and you'll have something to play with." She paused a moment, the color on her cheeks visible even in the darkness. "That didn't come out right."

He kept his grin to himself. The two of them were in and out with only one person - and perhaps some intelligent floors - knowing anyone had been there. Hopefully she would explain the whole magic shoe bit to him at some point.

There was one little thing he had forgotten about by the time they reached her building - no working elevators. He didn't have time to waste climbing stairs right then, but unless he felt like clubbing her over the head, there wasn't much choice if he wanted the data stick. Lenorah had secreted it somewhere on her person. With such an outfit, there were only a few places it could have ended up.

She growled and grumbled a bit when he fired a grapple line to the top of the stairwell. Knowing that it would be the fastest way to the top must have stayed her tongue.

"Press this button to send it back down. If you press the other one it releases the cable."

Lenorah's eyes widened. "That would be bad."

"Perhaps."

"You're no longer invited into my home."

She stuck her tongue out. It was stupid and childish, and yet oddly enticing. He reached across and triggered the button to send her towards the ceiling. There was a bit of cursing when she reached the top, but nothing that lasted for any amount of time. When he reached the top himself, he could see what had bothered her earlier. It was a little difficult to maneuver oneself onto the top landing.

"Give me your hand."

Batman noticed she was favoring her right foot as she held out her hand to him. Her injury must have been worse than first suspected. Most women would have sat themselves down and started complaining hours ago. Lenorah seemed to be more of an on her feet type - complaining as she kept moving. Which she did as soon as he had a grip on the railing.

"Everyone thinks my life is rather boring. I've had more than enough adventure this evening to last me a few years." She grimaced and began to limp up the few remaining stairs. "And I can't even tell anyone. Well, I could - but who would believe me? I've got Batman in my living room! Woo!"

"Are you alright?"

"No, I don't think I am."

She didn't say much else as they entered the darkened penthouse. He watched with some amusement as she finally collapsed onto the couch. The only part of her visible being two long legs and a shoe with a slowly growing bloodstain.

"There should be a first aid kit to the left of the fridge." Her voice was muffled, almost like she had her face pressed into the cushions. "Could you bring it to me please?"

Batman wasn't sure he wanted to play nursemaid right then. He still needed the damned data stick. Alright, maybe he didn't _need_ it, but he sure as hell _wanted_ it. Turning back to the couch, he picked up on quite a few colorful curses, the voice uttering them growing louder by the moment with frustration.

"Is something wrong?"

She had one upper thigh in a death grip. "My hands ... I can't stop shaking for some reason. And the damn zipper is stuck now. Can I just get a rewind on this whole day?"

He pushed her hands out of the way, ignoring the hitched breath as he gave the zipper on her ridiculous books a rather violent tug. It served to get it moving again - a little too much in fact. Lenorah buried her face in her hands as he ended up ripping it down to her foot. She started cursing at him again the moment he tried to take it off completely.

"Bloody - fucking - ow! What the hell ..."

"You were right. She did end up sticking you with something."

"Thank you Captain Fucking Obvious." She let out a hiss as he turned her foot. "Don't make it worse."

He grunted. This would be quick and dirty - because he certainly wasn't going to stay around to do stitches. Didn't look like it needed them, but they also hadn't turned any extra lights on since they got there. He needed to collect his data and be elsewhere. To leave and pray she hadn't been observant enough to pick up on anything that would tie him to his other self. There had certainly been enough to distract her this evening.

"This might sting a little."

The look she gave him was priceless. It was a quick enough job to flush with peroxide then wrap the entire foot with a roll of gauze. She would hopefully go to a clinic or something in the morning and have it looked after properly. Maybe he would call and see that she did. Or rather, Bruce Wayne would call. He would worry about coming up with an excuse for contacting her later.

"Am I going to live?"

"Yes. You might want to have that looked at later."

"Right." She sat up a bit, pulling her hair over one shoulder. "The data stick is tucked in the back of my top."

He soon had a small velvet case in his hand. "What was it about the shoes?"

"Five years ago, Club Zorellie started handing out special shoes to employees. Embedded in each one is a data chip. In every entrance and at certain spots in the floor are collectors that scan and record who's been where. It's an easier system than what they used to go by - and the best way to keep track of those that aren't all that welcome anymore."

"And this particular one?"

"If she set off an alarm, she was kicked out or fired for conduct unbecoming a Zorellie's dancer. That usually means theft or assault - or something bad enough she got booted out on her ass."

"What kind of system is it?"

Lenorah sighed. "I don't know all the details. Even if I did, I'm not sure I trust you enough yet to endanger my relationship with them."

"What kind of club is this?" He wanted to growl and shake her after that answer.

"One that is important to me for reasons that are hard to explain, and most would never understand."

While she was usually guarded, her face was open and honest. For the first time since he'd met her, she was an open book. It was frightening almost, how much devotion she could have for Club Zorellie. Their eyes met, and he found it rather hard to move.

"Club Zorellie was more than just a job. The people there became my family after ... well, that's neither here nor there." She struggled to her feet, a little off balance with one shoe off. "I, um - thank you."

Batman regarded her with silence. This didn't seem to bother her much, though she looked somewhat confused at his reaction. Or lack thereof.

"You didn't have to do all that you did for me this evening. Has no one ever thanked you for what you've done for them?"

Gordon was the only one he could remember who had ever expressed gratitude for anything Batman had ever done. He hadn't even heard such from Rachel - and a part of him had nearly craved it from her. It wasn't expected, and he certainly didn't need it. There was no denying he didn't get a little satisfaction from hearing it though.

"How about next time we keep the excitement to a minimum. And without your crazy ass little girlfriend in the mix."

He flashed her a dark grin before making his exit out the balcony doors.


	9. Part 8

Whatever it was, it was annoying. Somewhere there was something making noise. She didn't really know what it was, but she knew she would never have something that made such a noise in her bedroom. Except it wasn't her bedroom that greeted her when she cracked an eye open.

For a brief moment, panic flared until Lenorah recalled she had fallen asleep on the couch after the excitement of the night before. It took a few more sluggish brain cells to then realize the annoying noise off to her left was her phone buzzing away in her purse. She blinked at the caller ID in some confusion before answering it.

"Hello?"

"Sorris – you're alive."

"Sorry, tricked you. This is an automated answer –"

The man on the other end snorted. "Oh save it. Did you know you're on the news?"

"Considering your dumb ass just woke me up, that would be a negative response. Did they get my good side at least?" Lenorah slumped further back into the couch, thinking death by cushion burial wouldn't be a bad way to go.

"Is there a bad side to an outfit like that?"

"What's the matter Wayne? Don't most of your dates wear less than that?"

"I was just shocked is all. You didn't seem the type to … well, you know …"

She studied the water stains on the ceiling before replying. "No, I don't know. When did we suddenly become friends?"

"What?"

"We sat next to each other at a fund raiser and had lunch together once. And then I get these odd early morning calls. It's too early to think though, so I have no idea where I'm going with this."

"You make for interesting conversation."

"Is that all?" Lenorah sighed, bringing an arm up over her eyes. "Maybe you should consider dating someone with more than half a brain cell Wayne. Then I wouldn't be the only source of interesting conversation in the city."

"And just so you know, it's not early morning, it's early afternoon. Do you really take me for the early riser type?"

"S'pose not." She hissed as she bumped her foot against the arm of the couch.

"Is everything alright?"

"I was attacked by some crazy bitch in an ugly ass cat whore costume, taken in by the cops for questioning and then reluctantly bandaged up by some sexy freak with a cape and just left here on my own to bleed all over my couch. I'm tired, hungry, in pain and I smell. No Mr. Wayne, everything is not alright. Everything has gone to shit."

It sounded like he was attempting not to laugh. "Is your door unlocked?"

"I have – what?"

"It's a simple question Miss Sorris. Is your door locked?"

"How the hell should I know? My house guest left via the balcony and I apparently haven't moved since he left. Why are you asking in the first place?"

Lenorah's body went rigid as she heard the door open, the hinge on the bottom giving out its customary faint squeal. Next time she would definitely have to insist the man with the cape lock the door before he took a dive off the roof. If there was a next time.

"You know, you should really lock your door at night Miss Sorris."

She blinked up at the smiling face looking at her from over the back of the couch. Bruce Wayne was standing in her living room. Mr. Blue-sultry-eyes-to-bloody-die-for was leaning over the back of her couch looking like the cat that ate the canary.

Lenorah pressed her face into the back of the couch and let out a frustrated scream.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Bruce stood as far out of the way as he could, which wasn't easy given how small the room in the clinic was. He had offered to take her to one of the hospitals, but Lenorah had insisted he take her to the somewhat run down Urgent Care just a couple blocks away. She would have hobbled there herself if he hadn't made the offer to drive her around.

He wasn't one to talk, but the woman was too damn stubborn. It was no doubt a trait that had gotten her where she was but it wasn't needed all the time. Not when he was trying to help. And he had certainly made a note to himself to lock a ladies door the next time he ended up having to take someone home.

If there was a next time, and he wasn't just a little distracted from having to unzip a pair of thigh high spike heels … it was as pleasant a memory as the strip tease moment he couldn't help but revisit every now and then. They were thoughts he shouldn't have, shouldn't allow himself to be distracted with, but they were hard to erase. He was supposed to be above such base desires.

Too bad his brain hadn't let the rest of him know about that.

"You should have insisted she seek treatment last night sir – if you were any sort of friend at all." The doctor was glaring up at him. "Thankfully nothing important was damaged, but there will be some scaring."

Lenorah answered before he could even open his mouth. "We weren't out together last night. I was dropped in my living room by Batman and I didn't wake up until Mr. Wayne here was kind enough to check up on me after seeing the news."

"Oh … I thought –"

Bruce smiled, one of those reserved public expressions colder than an iceberg. "As long as she's going to live."

"Oh, but my poor pretty little foot. Whatever will I do with a terrible scar? My life, it is ruined now!"

"Shut up and let the man finish his job Sorris."

"You're no fun." Her pout was interrupted by a wince.

"Almost finished." The doctor muttered, securing another suture. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you come here?"

"I'm only four blocks away, why wouldn't I?"

Bruce loved how she presented her case as questioning the logic of those around her. Never mind that here sat a woman who could buy the dingy little clinic a few times over, but she had opted to get her foot stitched up by a doctor who looked as run down as his building. She was different, but he was beginning to question if it was in a good way or not.

"Because this is the dingiest cheapest clinic in Gotham, due to be closed down at the end of the month."

"What? But where are the people around here supposed to go? Not all of them have the best jobs – they can't afford to lose this place."

He kept himself out of the conversation. As with the conversation that had gone around their table during the fund raiser, she was more passionate about taking care of Gotham's under class than most city natives. It wasn't much different from his approach – as long as one took away such factors as body armor and capes and – who was he kidding.

Wayne Enterprises put as much money as possible into fixing things without much to show in satisfactory results. Lenorah would find out soon enough on her own that one couldn't do a great deal by the light of day. Bruce didn't think she would be all that great at working from the shadows either. She wasn't the sort to hide something that would be of benefit to those around her. Not that she was doing any of it to be in the spot light. She simply had nothing to hide.

Bruce brought his attention back to what was happening just as the doctor finished wrapping a loose bandage around her foot. He suppressed the urge to laugh when she asked in a quiet voice if she'd been good enough to earn a sticker. The doctor didn't hesitate to give her a bright purple smiley face that she traded for a business card.

"Laugh at me all you want rich boy, I never got a sticker when I was a kid."

He moved out of the corner to lean against the exam table. "I wasn't laughing."

"You wanted to."

"Alright, I confess. What are we waiting on now?"

"Crutches. Doctor wants me to keep from putting pressure on my foot for a few days at least."

"Then it's back home?"

"No. Then it's time for Mary's Cafe. I'm crazy hungry and craving one of their gooey greasy omelets." She clapped her hands like an excited child. "With smelty cheese, bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms."

He raised an eyebrow at "smelty" but didn't bother to question her invented words. Some discussions just weren't worth it. Not with someone a little on the cranky side because they hadn't eaten yet and had just had their foot stitched up. Sticker euphoria wouldn't last all that long and she'd go back to the surly monster he'd woken up. Never mind the fact he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before.

Leaving her the way he had the night before hadn't set well. Other than taking her to an emergency room (which he probably should have done once the boot was off) there wasn't much he could have done. He certainly couldn't have stitched the wound up as nice and neat as the one she'd just sat through. And he certainly didn't have any smiling faced stickers to hand out either.

So he would settle for playing chauffeur and buy her lunch at some greasy spoon cafe down the street. And hopefully he would get to head off for a nap sometime soon.

"Hey, you okay?" Her hand waved in front of his face.

"Yeah. Sorry, a little tired."

"Late night?"

"Something like that."

She pursed her lips, picking at invisible lint on her pants. "You can just take me back home Bruce. I have food I can cook there."

"It's fine. I just need some coffee."

"You sure?"

"Yes Sorris, I'm sure it's fine if you want to eat at some greasy spoon and clog your arteries."

"You're welcome to crash on my couch afterwards if you don't feel like driving home. I don't have the guest room setup yet, or I'd offer you something better. It really is a comfortable couch."

"I might just take you up on that offer."

She smiled. It was an expression with nothing else behind it - which was something that normally happened in his dealings with people. There was always something someone wanted from him. Lenorah could have taken advantage of him or the situation, and she really hadn't. If it wasn't for him, she probably wouldn't have left her place for treatment at all. Or been able to really.

He wished he could return it, some part of him did anyway. There was a larger portion of himself that wasn't sure how he was supposed to do around her. She wasn't difficult to figure out, but she certainly wasn't simple either.

"Buck up Wayne. I'm the one who had to sit here and be stitched up."

The doctor came back in before he could reply. "If you could help her stand, I'll get these adjusted and then we'll be done for today. See someone in a week or so to see how everything is healing so they can determine when the stitches should come out."

"Thank you Doctor Smythe."

"See to it that she doesn't try to do too much too fast, and that she keeps it dry and elevated slightly when she gets home."

Bruce nearly laughed as the doctor ignored her glare to tell him to keep track of her. She was lucky he considered her some sort of friend. Otherwise she would be on her own.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

AN:

Alright, I'm sorry that an update has taken so long. I've not been in the right mental place to want to write because of some things that happened earlier this year. I'm still dealing with some of it, and I can't promise how quick or how often I will be updating from here on out.

I haven't forgotten about this story, it's just taking a while since I'm having to do more rewrites of the rewrite and some new things from scratch now with some of the changes a few parts back.

So, thanks for hanging in there, those of you still peeking in for a read every now and then. =)


	10. Part 9

Bruce cracked one eye open in a half-awake glare at the annoying little contraption on the bedside table. It had been a rather long week, and he felt like he'd barely gotten any sleep - even if it was two in the afternoon and he had decided to skip out on heading into the office earlier. He wasn't as annoyed when he saw who it was on caller ID. As this caller had been rather quiet, he couldn't be too mad that she was calling. Not when she was considerate enough to wait until mid afternoon.

"Yes?"

"Oh - I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Yes, you did."

"I'm sorry. I didn't -"

He sighed. "Sorris, why did you call me?"

"Oh ... um ... Do you have any plans for this evening?"

"Why?" If he had been awake and more alert, he might have considered it a stupid question.

"Because I really don't want to have a celebratory dinner all by my lonesome. And you're the only friend I have in town, and Sorris party of one sounds so pathetic when they take me to my table..."

"And what are you celebrating?"

"All sorts of things. My elevators all work now. My stitches came out and I don't have those damn crutches anymore. Oh, and the Gotham Ladies Society is going to help me with a fundraiser and awareness drive to save the clinic down the street. That covers it I think."

"So why call me?"

She muttered something under her breath he didn't quite catch. "Because you're a friend - aren't you? Friends go to dinner with each other on occasion. Look, it's a simple answer to a simple question. Yes or no - though you're beginning to make me regret asking you to join me if you're going to be an ass about it Wayne."

They both fell silent. Lenorah because she was waiting on his answer, and Bruce because women never called him for something like this without expecting something in return. Granted, she hadn't been like that since he first met her - but people could change their colors at any given moment. He would have no warning if she decided to turn into every other woman he'd ever been involved with. That was just the nature of it all.

"Hey Wayne, you still awake?"

"Yeah."

"It really is a simple answer. I only asked you to join me for dinner somewhere. Not like I went and asked you to run off to some tropical island for hot beach sex." She chuckled. "Not that hot beach sex doesn't sound wonderful, but right now all I want is some company while I attack a hunk of slightly singed beef or whatever else sounds good."

"Hot beach sex?"

She snorted. "As if you've never done it, or even thought about it. Are you sure you're human? How many women call up and offer to take you out to dinner just because?"

"You're the first."

"Really?"

"Yes Sorris. Usually when someone calls me up with an invitation they want something from me. Though none of them have ever offered hot beach sex." He fisted his other hand into the pillow behind his head as a vision of long limbs and black lace pranced through his brain. "That sounds better than watching you eat, if you want me to be truthful here."

"Well ..."

He opened his eyes to stare up at the ceiling as she paused. Lenorah wasn't seriously considering it was she? Hell, he wasn't serious - was he? This was the problem with attractive women with brains who kept him at arms length. Or maybe it was only because he had seen this one with very little clothing on and knew she had once worked as an exotic dancer. That knowledge was never good to have paired up with a slightly frustrated libido that hadn't been allowed out in a while.

"Sorris?"

"We could always do both. There's nothing that says we can't eat and then go have hot beach sex. Or sex and then food - but I'm really liking the whole eat food and then have sex part. Or we could just go for food and pretend we were going for hot sex later. Think about all the fun we could have with the gossips lurking about."

"You have to be the most evil woman I have ever met."

"What makes you say that?"

"You're attractive. You're intelligent. And you just propositioned me and took it back in less than a minute. You ... you're just sick."

"I'll bet you I'm more frustrated than you are, poor little rich boy. Like you haven't dallied with any of those little bimbos you parade around with. How about we start with food and see what happens from there?"

"Don't be a tease."

"Bruce..." She growled out his name, sending the faintest of tremors down his spine. "You want to know why I always say I'm not your type? Because you're dangerous. You'll chew me up and spit me out faster than I want to even think about it. And there's a large portion of me that would give anything for that to happen. But there's another part of me that wants a great deal more than that. Guess which one is slowly losing this race."

"Lenorah, I would never..."

"Don't treat me like I'm stupid, please just don't. Look, just ... just forget I called today. Sorry I wasted your time."

Like an idiot he sat blinking at the now quiet phone in his hand. First a dinner invitation, then some rather charged, not so playful banter about sex - and now she had hung up on him. They were both crazy. This was a complication he really didn't need right then. Something he didn't need _ever_, but he felt somewhat stupid for not trying to take advantage of it.

Any other man would have jumped at what was just offered. But there were too many factors for him to enter into any sort of meaningful relationship. He still had to catch this elusive lady theif - and then once she was taken care of something else would slither up from the depths to take her place. And of course he still had to play the degenerate playboy to keep people away from who he really was.

But there was someone nearly ready and willing to be with him that didn't want his money or his name or anything else like that. Would it really be so bad to see what it would be like with Lenorah in his life? Such a decision had been so easy to make when Rachel had been the answer to the equation. Why was it turning out to be a greater difficulty with Lenorah? Why was he even entertaining such in the first place? He really shouldn't be. Not when it would taint his memories of Rachel. Not when it would replace her.

He couldn't do that. Rachel could never be replaced - certainly not by some headstrong woman who looked far too good in too little clothing. Rachel had been all that was light and good in his life. Lenorah was ... well, she was a little tarnished around the edges. She was more like him with plenty to hide from the rest of society. Granted the skeletons in her closet were nothing like his, but there was a darkness to her that had never been around Rachel.

Bruce had enough darkness of his own that he didn't need to add more to it. That was what is brain wanted to believe. His body apparently felt there was nothing wrong with it.

He really hadn't wanted to wake up to a cold shower.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Lenorah had never felt more ashamed of herself than she was after she made herself end their conversation. How could she not manage to keep things controlled in that conversation? Alright, so it had been far too long since she had enjoyed a decent man. And yes, she was very attracted to Bruce. But that didn't mean she needed to start going on and on about food and sex and more sex on the phone with him. It was like being an akward teenager again.

She had no idea what had come over her. The words had just slipped on out without permission and then she hadn't been able to stop. If she was honest, she hadn't wanted to stop. It was true, getting involved with Bruce would certainly destroy her - but by the gods how she nearly welcomed such. Lenorah knew what Carrie would say, but that little devil on her shoulder was no great help. In fact, it was like she had two devils on either shoulder, with no angels in sight.

"You're an idiot."

The woman in the mirror grimaced in agreement. Talking to herself like this wasn't helping much either. But at least she knew she couldn't do any more damage this way. She was very nearly on the verge of needing a cold shower, but such feelings would pass soon enough. Now she needed to decide if she was going to go out to dinner alone, or not leave the house.

As she had felt like a prisoner with her crutches and no working elevator, she hadn't been out of her appartment much since Bruce had first taken her to the clinic. There was no denying that she really needed to get out for a while. Lenorah just didn't feel like going it alone. She was tired of having to do stuff on her own with no company.

She apparently wasn't any good at calling up a male friend and asking him to dinner without propositioning him at the same time. And she had been doing so well up until then. Her hands came up to rub at her temples. Maybe she had just been cooped up too long that she was experiencing a little cabin fever. It was as good an explanation as any.

Lenorah caught her own gaze again in the mirror. "You are going to put something sexy on, and you are going to leave this building. It doesn't matter where you go or what you end up doing, you just need to not come home before midnight."


	11. Part 10

She didn't end up following all of her own orders. Dinner had been a greasy burger at Mary's, followed by drinks at the club. At least there she could feel somewhat welcomed and that she was not quite so alone in the world. But even that could not keep her spirits up for long.

Lenorah still felt rather stupid for her earlier conversation with Bruce. It cast something of a shadow over her while she tried to enjoy her evening out. There was no real way to ignore the fact that she was out for a night on the town by herself. She really needed to get out more and meet people. This whole only having the one friend who was a bit of an ass really wasn't going to cut it for much longer.

Or she could go visit Carrie in Metropolis. But then her friend would want to set her up with any number of men and that wouldn't really make the grade either. It would take too much work to keep something going between two such cities. Not to mention she really didn't want to be driving back and forth all the time. That would get real old rather quick.

So instead, she was standing on her balcony with a bottle of scotch wearing nothing but a slip of fabric one might call panties and an over sized button up shirt left hung open. Her hair blew around her head in the faint gentle breeze that evening, slowly chasing away the heat of the day.

She didn't even realize she had company until a gruff cough caught her attention as she started to stretch her arms above her head. A bit of black fabric fluttered in the corner of her eye and she jumped.

"Fuck! You - you really shouldn't sneak up on someone like that."

He didn't respond, but she could swear his lips twitched up into a faint smile. Her momentary surprise settled, she felt the stirrings of anger that she had tried to keep reined in from their last meeting.

"Has anyone ever told you what an ass you are? You weren't even nice enough to lock my door before leaping off into the night. Is that any way to treat a lady in her own home?"

"I am not responsible for your door."

Lenorah snorted and rolled her eyes. "Oh, of course not. Nor are you responsible for seeing to my wounds caused by some bitch you chased into the club. And to think I was nice enough to share information with you - no matter how useless it perhaps turned out to be. What are you doing on my balcony?"

Batman hadn't moved through her rant. One where she had moved closer until she stood within a foot of the dark protector of Gotham. He stood above her, but not as much as one might expect. Costumed crime fighters would look a little silly in heeled boots she supposed. He still looked nearly as good as Wayne, though she had no idea why both men appealed to her so much. Certainly not why she was so drawn to the insane mystery that was Batman.

That part truly made no sense.

"Are you going to answer my question, or just stand there like an idiot?"

She rested her hands on her hips, forgetting how it would affect her shirt.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Forget everything else he had ever done. This was the single largest mistake of his life. Batman couldn't say exactly what he expected when he decided to stop for a visit. Couldn't he have simply watched from a distance like all the times before? That would have been the safest way to deal with the odd urge to be in this part of the city. Instead he ended up perched on the ledge of her building and then all thought left his head.

It was a position he shouldn't have allowed himself to be in. But how in the hell could a man be expected to not want to watch a woman standing around in very little. And now she stood there with her hands on her hips pulling her shirt open even more and ... if he was smart he would have launched himself over the edge of the building right then and there. As it was, he was learning every day how stupid he was in this whole matter.

God she was gorgeous though. Of course any idiot could see that even when she was fully clothed - but it was a great deal easier to appreciate her like this. Perhaps he shouldn't have interrupted her stretching earlier. It was hardly the thought of an adult man - even he had to admit such to himself.

She was starting to sound rather irritated with him. It took a moment for him to realize she had asked the same question at least three times now.

"Why are you here?"

"I was in the area." _Liar!_

She didn't look like she believed him. He couldn't tell if that was good or bad. Probably bad. The whole situation was bad. But he couldn't seem to find the will to tear himself away. There were any number of things he should have been doing then, but instead he was here.

"Right. There are any number of empty buildings. Instead you chose to show up here. I'm not drunk, I'm not injured, I'm not some criminal mastermind - so again," she moved closer, her voice growing quieter, her lips capturing his attention. "Why are you here?"

"Because I wanted to be."

"Well then, can I get you anything?"

Would the truth really get him that much? He had to of lost his mind. That was the only explanation for it. Otherwise why else was he indulging himself this way. Bruce Wayne had received the offer earlier today, so why was only Batman allowing himself the company of this woman?

"No, thank you."

"Going to dash off again like the last time? Not that you should be here paying a social call on someone like me when you've a city to patrol. That is what you do isn't it? Randomly roam around the city taking out the bad apples from the basket?"

"Yes."

"That still begs the question as to why you're here to see me. Perhaps you really did want to, but that still doesn't make much sense. I'm but one woman you only met once before. Why would I be important to you in any way?"

He really had no answer for such a question. Batman had only met Lenorah Sorris once before. Yet Bruce Wayne had a much greater claim on her in that sense. There was no way to safely reveal such information. Not if he wanted to keep her safe at least. Though it was rather odd to have such thoughts in her direction.

"Anyone ever tell you your conversational skills are terrible?" Lenorah sighed as she slumped against the wall next to him. "You should work on that if you're going to make a habit out of appearing on women's balconies."

"I ... shouldn't be here."

"True, but I'm not exactly shoving you off the roof now am I ... so unless you get an urgent call I guess you can stay."

"Thanks..."

An odd feeling silence fell between them. He was still trying to keep from looking down, and she wasn't making it any easier on him by being so close. Whatever perfume she had on that evening was making him feel a little dizzy. Or was it the amount of bare skin on display? Batman wasn't sure.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he could see that she had been studying him. The look on her face was a little odd perhaps, but not what he would have considered bad in any way. It was more like she didn't quite know what to make of him. So at least he wasn't alone in being confused about another person.

"You're sure I can't get you anything? Glass of water? Popsicle? Coffee? Tea?" She flashed a rather evil smile that sent something racing up and down his spine. "Me?"

It was his turn to roll his eyes.

"Sorry, couldn't resist. You have any idea how long I've wanted to use that line on someone? This was just too perfect really. And some part of you enjoyed it, even if you don't want to admit it."

"You're sure you're not a criminal mastermind?"

She grinned and moved even closer than before. "And what would you do if I said yes?"

While his brain screamed at him to run away - run very far away - right then, his body seemed to have other ideas. The playful glint in her eyes took a turn down a different path. Her grin slipped a little as she pulled her lower lip in between her teeth. Looking back on the whole thing later, he still couldn't tell exactly who moved towards who first.

Her lips were soft against his and he could still taste a hint of scotch on her tongue. He could say that it was the first time anyone had ever kissed him for the hell of it. Of course, it was the first time anyone had ever kissed him as Batman. Not that Bruce Wayne had seen a great deal of such action recently...

When he came to his senses, she had one leg wrapped around his waist as he pressed her against the wall. Lust may have been in her gaze for all that he could tell right then, but it wasn't the calculated kind designed to get his other self into some compromising position, or just because he had more money that sense as they assumed. It felt a little odd to be lusted after just because. Certainly so because of the suit he had on right then.

And it felt perfectly natural to have one hand fisted in her hair while the other gripped her hip. Batman had to bite back a groan as she licked her lips and then smiled up at him.

"Wow ... that was ... just wow ..."

He had given common sense a dirty look and was contemplating a repeat performance when a call for police presence at the Gotham Docks came across his ear piece. His features must not have been as guarded as he wished based on the slightly disappointed look on her face right then. It was harder than he thought to pull himself away. What exactly had this woman done to him? Batman glanced back over his shoulder before preparing to hop back over the edge of her balcony. The disappointment was gone, replaced with a warm smile.

"Hey, come back when you can stay longer. You're always welcome here."

He very nearly lost his footing and hoped his exit was a bit more graceful than simply falling off the edge of a building in shock.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

AN:

So y'all are lucky, I found the file that had the previous update and this one that wasn't quite finished. (I have too many project folders on this computer here...)

And I am trying to finish this, but there may be randomly long periods between updates. Simply because I'm not always in the best of minds to write. Just because I take happy pills doesn't make me all that happy all the time.

But know that I'm glad some of you are still sticking around to read this and I am going to try and make the effort to work a little harder at finishing this part up. No promises though.


	12. Part 11

"Alfred, I've lost my mind."

That statement did not give him the reaction he had been hoping for. Of course, it was probably too much to ask from the man who had raised him after his parents had been taken from him while they were standing deep beneath Wayne Manor putting various bits of body armor away.

"And in what capacity am I supposed to answer such a statement Master Bruce? You cover yourself with body armor and go running around the city night after night - all the while playing the drunken womanizing wretch we've all come to love to hate during your other waking hours ... and just now you finally say to me you've lost your mind?"

Bruce sighed. "I kissed someone tonight. Or perhaps she kissed me ... I can't really say for sure."

"This is somehow a sign of madness? You've kissed any number of women before."

"Bruce Wayne can't seem to keep his lips to himself. Batman on the other hand..."

"Oh ... Oh my. Was it an unwelcome embrace then?"

Bruce ground his teeth together, dropping his head into his hands. "No. But I shouldn't have allowed it to even be thought of, let alone happen. I don't need the distraction."

"And what of the young lady?" Alfred looked down his nose, apparently caring little for whatever the young master was suffering right then.

"She invited me back when I could stay longer." His reply was muffled behind his hands.

"I am skilled in many areas Master Bruce, but have pity on an old man's ears and not mumble into your hands when talking to me."

"She looked disappointed when I had to leave and told me I should come back again when I could stay longer." Bruce sighed, slumping back against the wall. "What have I done Alfred? How could I allow myself to do this? I ..."

"You are still a man of flesh and blood, no matter what you wear on top of it. Would it really be that terrible if you've found a woman who actually likes you in this way?" Alfred didn't seem to be phased by the glaring pout sent his way. "Unless Batman is the only part of you she does like. That could be a problem."

Bruce took a moment to think about it. Lenorah wasn't impervious to him, that much he knew. But she also considered Bruce Wayne the playboy to be as dangerous as the criminals he rounded up as Batman. Was that only because of the reputation he had made for himself around town? Or did she have other motives for keeping the playboy at a greater distance than the one she allowed for Batman? Though he was somewhat loathe to admit it, she was more accepting of him overall than Rachel had been. That couldn't be enough to base anything on though.

Acceptance and lust could not build a trustworthy foundation for any sort of relationship ... could they?

"She ... she keeps Bruce at a greater distance than Batman ... but only because the playboy has become too well crafted by this point. But still, that's what we need more so than anything else."

Alfred stared at him a good long while before replying. "Perhaps something of a more permanent nature would distract people better than the endless string of bimbos you normally parade around town with. There's a sandwich waiting for you in the fridge if you're hungry."

"Thanks Alfred."

That night a sandwich went uneaten, and a bed was left to fend for itself as the master of the house sat up until the sun rose thinking of everything and nothing ... and coming up with very little that was of use to him at all.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

If Lenorah had known how the kiss had affected the other participant, she might not have spent the better portion of the next week bouncing back and forth between guilt and shame and enjoyment. No kiss - or perhaps man - had made her feel like this before. And she knew she shouldn't have indulged in it when it happened. But damn, the man could kiss. So much so she really wished for a repeat performance.

Even if she knew it would never amount to anything - even if it could. That was certainly a fantasy that would be unhealthy to indulge in. Though it would be hard to stop herself. It really had been too long since she'd been with anyone worthwhile.

One thing she knew for certain was that she could never tell anyone about her steamy snog session with Gotham's resident vigilante. Carrie would be overly excited about it just on the principle that Lenorah had gotten something - no matter how crazy the source of it was. For all she knew her friend would be planning the back alley middle of the night wedding to make her Mrs. Lenorah Batman before anything else could be said other than "I kissed a guy in body armor on my balcony while wearing very little clothing".

Though ... could that be the only reason he had even bothered to show up? He was a man after all, no matter how strange his hobbies were. And she had been standing there in next to nothing with her shirt a useless prop as it was unbuttoned and hanging open. Of course, his hands had gone for her hair and hips amazingly enough. She hadn't even noticed the gloves.

This above all made her regret not having more friends in Gotham. Yes, she had been rather busy since she arrived, but that was something of a poor excuse. She could have gotten out and made the effort - but a part of her hadn't really wanted to. Being at odds with herself was a right pain in the ass.

She couldn't very well call up Bruce and ask for his take on the matter. Even if there was an evil little imp sitting on both shoulders urging her to do just that. They hadn't talked to each other since that last phone conversation. Lenorah hadn't even seen him talked of much in the society pages. It was as if the man had scampered off to some cave somewhere to hide for however long crazy billionaire playboys did things for. Of course, if the rumors were true he wasn't alone regardless of where he was. There were bound to be a few flighty little things with him to cater to his every whim.

"That was an uncharitable thought."

Her voice sounded odd as it filled the otherwise quiet room. She hadn't even bothered to turn on music or anything else to fill the void. Just the occasional drip of water from the faucet into the tub where she lounged in cooling water, watching the tips of her fingers slowly wrinkle into fleshy prunes. She had a somewhat mad scramble for a towel as her phone started to ring, though she did consider letting it go to voice mail for a brief moment.

"What can I do for you Mr. Wayne?"

"Sorris ... You have any dinner plans this evening?"

Lenorah snorted. "What, have you run out of the local bimbos? And it's already evening Wayne."

"Nothing like that." He sighed and muttered something she didn't quite catch. "I just .. call it an apology for not taking you up on your offer the last time you called."

"My offer of what - dinner or hot island sex?"

Bruce laughed. "Dinner. I'm afraid I don't have time for beach sex at the moment."

"Suppose I'll just have to settle for a rain check then."

"On dinner?"

"No," Lenorah chuckled. "On the hot island beach sex. Dinner sounds nice. I do need to get out of here and get my mind off of crazy things."

"And just what have you been up to then since the last time we talked Miss Sorris?"

"All sorts of things Mr. Wayne."

"Funny, I haven't seen anything show up in the papers."

She snorted. "Some of us have better things to do with our time than end up in the tabloids with a brain dead idiot on our arm."

"Ouch."

"Time and place? Am I supposed to get all dressed up, or can I just hop out of the tub and put whatever is on the top of the clean pile on?"

"I hadn't thought about it."

"You called me up to ask me out to dinner and you hadn't thought about where you were going to take me?" Lenorah stood and stepped out of the tub, fumbling with one of the towels she had nearby. "This isn't the greatest start to the evening Wayne."

"I wasn't sure what your answer would be."

"Well, just for that, you are going to take me somewhere fancy and treat me to the most expensive dessert on the menu."

"Deal. See you at eight."

She blinked at the now silent phone in her hand. If he was going to show up at eight ...

"Damn you Wayne, that's less than an hour away."


	13. Part 12

Bruce was aware that he probably should have given Lenorah a little more time, but he had been lurking about his office in Wayne Tower not wanting to head home. And he had wanted company this evening that was a great deal more stimulating than his usual fare. No doubt the papers would have a field day with it, but he was starting to not care much about that anymore.

Alfred's parting words from the other day had managed to stick with him. Would it really be better to do away with the playboy image in lieu of something of a more permanent nature? They had spent so much time crafting the public face of Bruce Wayne that he wasn't sure it would be worth it to throw all that away. But the thought of continuing the endless parade of meaningless relationships wasn't as appealing anymore.

Still, could he actually do it?

It was a quick matter to call up and request a table at Toni's. If she wanted dessert, they had the best around. Things had been quiet the past few weeks, so he had to hope that it would continue to be so for at least one more night. He really didn't want to have to leave in the middle of dinner.

He was buzzed up in the new elevator without much fanfare. No doubt she was still scrambling to get ready on such short notice. The door to her apartment was ajar and he let himself in. Bruce was greeted with the sight of a well toned ass sticking up in the air while it appeared the rest of her was under the couch.

"Need any help?"

"Got it." Lenorah sat back on her knees. "Damn earring bounced nearly all the way across the room."

"You need a few more minutes?"

She rolled her eyes as she got to her feet. "Honestly Wayne, does it look like I need a few more minutes?"

His gaze traveled up and down her figure. The dress was dark green, strapless, and hugged every available curve. Add to that a slit that ran nearly all the way up one leg and he found it rather hard to breath for a moment. Bruce slowly shook his head, getting a rather smug smirk from his date.

"Unless I'm overdressed for wherever you're taking me."

"No ... it's just fine."

"How sweet. You thought I would actually go and change at this point in time? Bless your little heart." She sauntered towards him. "I don't care if you end up taking me to Mary's at this point. I hustled and got myself all prettied up in less than an hour, the rest of the world will know it."

"It is a remarkable feat actually. I don't know many other women who could have pulled it off so well."

"Bruce, I rather marvel at you knowing any actual women besides myself. Because all those little girls I see you with in the papers just don't count."

"Has anyone ever told you how mean you are?"

"Constantly." She winked. "You do realize that the whole be nice to impress each other phase was over a long time ago ... right? If we ever even had one."

Bruce smiled and shook his head. "Maybe for a few minutes at that first fund raiser."

"You might be right." Lenorah wrapped her arm around his. "Shall we give the gossips something to gab about for the next week?"

He nodded his assent and escorted her out of the room, though his thoughts were anywhere but on the city gossips.

"You do realize it could put some tarnish on your reputation to be seen on a date with me."

Her green eyes held a mysterious glint to them as she turned away from the elevator doors. "You mean more than being an ex-stripper already does?"

"Hadn't thought of that."

"Or you could look at it that being seen in public with me strips some of the tarnish off of yours Mr. Wayne."

"You're not going to call me that all through dinner are you?"

"Depends on the topic at hand. Sometimes calling you Mr. Wayne is more fun. You get this wrinkle between your eyebrows when you're trying to not show irritation around me. You manage to keep such things hidden around everyone else, oddly enough."

"Maybe you're just special."

Lenorah studied him in silence the rest of the way down. The odd glint from before back in her eyes. He had to remember that neither of them were immune to the other, that she had been the first to make the offer of a night's entertainment on a beach somewhere. And he had been the idiot who turned her down. It was still the proper response, but a part of him would always wonder what would have happened if he had said yes.

Maybe he could still find out in the future, if he was brave enough perhaps someday.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Lenorah smiled a bit to herself as she waited for the door to the car to be opened. It had been so long since she had gone on a proper date that she was determined to make the most of it. More so because she would be seen at an upscale restaurant with the one and only Bruce Wayne as escort. Carrie wasn't going to know what hit her when she learned of this particular date.

She managed to hide her shock rather well when he didn't immediately release her hand after he helped her from the car. It translated itself into a nice wide smile that the few photographers waiting outside went flash happy over. One, a young man with a head of bright blue hair caught her attention.

"Hey Sparks! I expect to see copies of these in my email if they turn out well."

He tipped her a small bow. "Of course Miss Sorris."

"You boys all get enough? Can we slip in and eat now?"

She waved and urged Bruce towards the door. Or perhaps he was the one dragging her along, she wasn't quite sure. It had made a great deal more sense a long time ago to befriend a few paparazzi rather than be angry at them all the time. Those that felt they had an inside with those they wished to track down would occasionally think twice before giving everything to the tabloids. That was one of the few lessons from her mother that had turned out to be useful.

They were led to a table in a quiet corner and left on their own for a few minutes. A debate over the wine list began, ending in victory on her part. Though she did tell him he was more than welcome to his own bottle if he wanted something different.

"So what shall our dinner conversation be this evening?" She smiled at him over the top of her wine glass.

"Certainly not another game of twenty questions. You know too much already."

"Only as long as you weren't lying, Mr. Chocolate Banana Pudding."

"One should never lie about pudding." He gave her his best serious look. "Besides, didn't you have news to share with me last week?"

"Oh yeah. I got in touch with the Gotham Ladies Society and they jumped at the chance to help. It was rather shocking actually. I expected to have to spend time and effort in convincing them."

"Is there a theme to this event they're putting together?"

She shrugged. "No idea yet. I meet with them in a few days to figure out what's going on I guess. Though I did make it clear I really didn't want a singles auction. Mrs. Furin mumbled something about a fashion show, but it's still anyone's guess at this point."

"Anything she's in charge of is bound to be interesting."

"Interesting in a good way or should I be worried?"

She wasn't sure if she liked the particular smirk on his face right then. But they were interrupted by the arrival of appetizers right then and the food was more than enough to keep her distracted from the topic. Dinner passed in much the same way, in warm banter and the occasional sneaking fork making a trip across the table to the other's plate for a sample.

It was the most relaxing date she had ever been on. Maybe it was because it wasn't some stranger her friends had decided to set her up with, or maybe it was the fact that the two of them had already spent time together. Either way Lenorah wasn't adverse to a few repeat performances. This particular side of Bruce Wayne was one she didn't mind being around. Not that she had barely scratched the surface to this man, and she still had to factor in the playboy bits ... but she could ignore it for right then.

"So, I believe the lady said something about making me buy the most expensive dessert on the menu."

Lenorah laughed. "Indeed. Should we share? We are supposed to be on a date after all."

"Not sure I have room. And I really should be watching my figure." Bruce smirked over the rim of his glass.

"I can think of better ways to maintain one's figure other that don't involve skipping dessert. I want the Chef's Special Sundae. Homemade ice cream - doesn't that just sound perfect?"

"I suppose it does."


	14. Part 13

Lenorah sighed around the spoon in her mouth. What was supposed to have been a wonderful evening had been cut short. Though, she felt she couldn't be too disappointed because she had seen a certain amount of honest regret on Bruce's face when they were forced to leave before the dessert could be sampled.

Thankfully the restaurant had to go capabilities.

So instead of sharing her ice cream, she had held it in her lap while they enjoyed a rather exhilarating trip back to her building. From there she had been left to finish the evening on her own, without even a good night kiss. Not even a peck on the cheek. She was more put out about that than the fact the evening had ended too soon because of an over sea's business emergency. A story that she wasn't sure she bought fully, but there wasn't much she could do about it.

The bowl was licked clean and dumped into the sink. Now she just had to figure out what to do with herself for the rest of the night. She hadn't planned on being home alone so soon. Coiled on the counter sat the house she hooked to the sink to water the few scraggly plants attempting to cling to life on her balcony. As she was finishing getting it hooked up, a clattering crash of footsteps pounded across the roof above her.

She looked up, guessing she either had a slight bat problem, or there were some talented urban climbers that needed to find some other building to play on. Lenorah slapped the lights off and stood in the dark, waiting to see what would show up. Her phone went down the front of her dress to be nearby if needed. The sliding door was already open so she decided to wait with hose in hand. Whoever they were, they would be in for a cold shower.

Two bodies hit her balcony in a grunting tangle of limbs and whatever else she couldn't really see. When they separated, Lenorah could see she had Batman and that little bitch from the other day facing off against each other. It was a good thing she hadn't gone for new furniture out there yet. Though, it sounded as if one of her plants had bit the dust. And she had been trying so hard not to kill them all this time.

Lenorah expected the fight to continue. She certainly wasn't expecting the boiling pit of anger in her middle when the little spandex encased tart suddenly decided to turn on the charm. It wasn't as if she had a claim on the man ... because she didn't ... but she sure as hell didn't like the idea of this ...

"Oh hell no."

If he wasn't going to do his job because the little bitch unzipped her top slightly and attempted to sashay her dinky ass little hips in what someone might think was a seductive manner... Oh yes, not to mention her dropped husky voice. She could perhaps see why this chick got ousted from Club Zorellie. No doubt she had been good up to a certain point, but there was no finesse to her act.

Of course, if the man was set on being an idiot, little Miss Kitty didn't really need it.

The hose in her hand was a comforting weight, as was the pair of devils sitting on either shoulder. So she did the only thing a slightly angry woman could do in a situation like this. Her heels clicked on the balcony tiles, sounding loud enough to draw the attention of the other two occupants right then. The hose slithered silently behind her. Neither of them noticed it, or their gazes were drawn elsewhere. Her lips curled up in what she thought was a rather evil grin.

"Bad kitty. Look at this mess you've made."

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

As irritating as it could be, she found she was starting to enjoy being chased across the city by Batman. It was more thrilling than the breaking and entering part of things. Being able to steal something right from under his nose and lead him on a merry chase along the rooftops was turning into the highlight of her days off. Well, since things with Gotham's most eligible bachelor hadn't ended up going anywhere. All she'd gotten out of that was one lousy date.

One stupid date and he'd never called her back. Men always called her back.

It was frustrating, making her doubt herself and her skills. Was she losing her touch? Most men couldn't get enough of her naughty girl routine. Perhaps that was where she'd gone wrong. Wayne was enough of a naughty boy himself - he didn't need that naughty of a woman hanging off his arm. Or perhaps he really was a one date wonder. Except she'd seen multiple shots of him and a tall woman with black hair that looked rather familiar. In fact, that woman was the only one he had been seen with recently.

She wasn't too put out over the whole thing, It wasn't like she had wanted a long term relationship. Not by any means. But it was still a blow to one's ego when a girl couldn't swing at least a call for a second date.

Batman had finally caught up with her in a nice diving tackle that had them rolling off the roof and onto a balcony below. They crashed into some tacky outdoor furniture and what she assumed was a mostly dead plant before coming to a stop. It took a moment to untangle from each other and she realized she might not have enough energy left for yet another crazy leap to a neighboring building. Her options were to allow capture or find some way she could distract him long enough to slip away.

Or perhaps distract him long enough that he'd stop caring about stopping her or bringing her in. He was a man after all.

Sliding her zipper down a little, she flashed him a coy smile. "I didn't think you'd manage to catch me."

It shouldn't have come as a surprise that he kept silent. So she would have to turn up the heat a little now. Her act was a little rusty perhaps but with an audience of one it really didn't matter.

The sounds behind her didn't quite register until the distinctive click of a pair of heels that weren't her own. She turned to see a woman standing there with something in her hands that looked oddly like a hose. Except they were standing on the roof of a building and there was no lawn in sight.

It was the woman who had been photographed lately with Bruce Wayne. The one that she had a vague memory of being in her way that one night in the club. That damn club that had nearly ruined her and set her back a few years on her plans.

"Bad kitty. Look at this mess you made."

She found herself with a face full of water. "Bitch. You think that will stop me?"

"Do try and show your claws again little pussy. I trained with the bouncers."

That gave her pause. If she was Zorellie trained she could be good for a put you in the ground beating. Zorellie Club bouncers were not known for showing mercy. That was how they made sure the point got across that you didn't mess with the girls working there. Except, the bouncers hardly ever let women train with them.

"Nice try. They don't let the dancers train with them."

She knew she was better at fighting, so as long as she made the first couple of hits count, she didn't have anything to worry about. Besides, the only weapon the other woman had was a hose. A few well placed swipes and she wouldn't be able to spray water anymore. No further thoughts for the man with pointy ears and a cape went through her head as she launched herself across the balcony.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

He had no idea what was going on. His attention had been so focused on the pursuit of Catwoman that he hadn't noticed where they had ended up. Seeing Lenorah there in the doorway had been a bit of a shock. As was the odd angry look she had given him before she turned her gaze to the woman between them.

A laugh had to be suppressed when she turned the hose on. Batman didn't laugh ... unless it was some dark chuckle meant to unsettle the people around him. Even that was a rare occurrence. His job wasn't one of amusement and there was very little to smile about. Though the current 'cat' fight could perhaps be counted as such.

Batman lurched forward when Catwoman sprung. Lenorah seemed to do fine blocking the first few strikes the other woman threw at her. The fight looked to have run in her favor until a flash of light indicated the cat had unsheathed her claws.

Lenorah danced away but not quite fast enough. A bitter curse followed the gashes that appeared down her left arm. The blood dripping down didn't seem to stop her though as she snarled and jammed her elbow in the other woman's face. Another curse followed a broken nose.

As entertaining as it was to watch these two possibly tear themselves apart, things were going downhill rather fast. If he didn't step in right now Lenorah's balcony would have a new paint job and not one that would look all that great when morning rolled around. A tugging match between the two ended up with the hose in Catwoman's hands just as he shoved them apart. It was more difficult holding Lenorah back than he had expected. Her eyes were wild and dark - not unlike a few looks he had seen from people he had fought in the past.

Before he could regain his grip on the third member of their odd little party, she had launched herself over the edge of the building. The hose ran out until it grew taught. Below them came the sound of shattering glass, though that was soon covered up by Lenorah's rather inventive insults and curses. If he was smart he would have left then. He probably should have. But there was no telling how bad her injuries were and he wasn't sure he should leave Lenorah alone right then.

"Why aren't you going after her?" Those angry green eyes blazed as she turned on him. "You're just going to let her get away?"

"You broke her nose. I'm sure it will be easy to find her again later."

Batman took her uninjured arm and dragged her back into her apartment. He slapped an angry hand at the nearest light switch and took her injured arm in his free hand. The cuts ran down the length of her arm. Though each one was thin, there were enough covering so much of her arm that he felt a little worried about it.

"I think I'm too angry for it to hurt much yet. Why is it every time you chase that little bitch into my general vicinity I end up like this?"

"Because you get in the way."

"Well maybe the idiot in body armor should have done more to stop her than stare at her less than impressive tits. Or does that kind excite you more than the last time you were on my balcony?"

She was glaring at him like she'd love nothing more than to beat some sense into him. Perhaps he really needed it right then. Hell, he knew he needed it. Catwoman had managed to slip through his fingers because he hesitated earlier. Granted Lenorah giving her an impromptu shower hadn't helped the situation much.

"Let's go."

"Go where cowboy?" She gave him a funny look as her other hand fished her phone out of a rather interesting location. "And what in the hell makes you think I want to go anywhere with you right now? I'm not liking your company much this evening."

"What?" He growled more than he usually did.

"You let her get away you idiot. You could have stopped her before I showed up with the hose, but no, you let your dick think for you right then."

"That's not what happened."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "I may look like an idiot dripping blood all over my floor and ruining a dress - but I wasn't born yesterday. You're a man, no matter how you think you can hide it behind all this crap -"

Batman rested a gloved finger on her lips. "I wasn't tempted. I was hoping she would let a few things slip as she talked."

"You still let her get away."

"You were injured."

That seemed to be more effective in shutting her up than he expected. Though he couldn't say for certain what her look contained as she stared at him. As long as she kept quiet for the next bit he'd be happy. She could always get a cab back from the hospital after they had seen to her, but she needed to get there before too long.

"I was going to take you to the hospital."

"Oh..."

"Unless you'd rather stay and bleed all over your floor more?"

The glare returned, but this time there was some reluctant acceptance behind it. "Alright, but you'd better catch that bitch the next time."

"I plan to."

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

AN:

I'm still not sure about this chapter...but I've sat on it long enough I might as well go ahead and post it.

I have not seen the latest film yet - so don't expect to see anything relating to it any time soon. I just spent the last month working two jobs and the past few days recovering from surgery. So that's what the delay has been ... aside from me finishing this and not liking it as much as I wanted to.

Well that and it wouldn't do much good to have my events after The Dark Knight mixing with the last installment much. So please keep that in mind if you're expecting something different from my piss poor Catwoman (I'm not caring about her as much since she's not the romantic interest in my corner of the Batman Universe...sorry).


	15. Part 14

The thought of a hotel for the next few days was sounding better and better the longer she looked at the mess waiting for her when she finally made it home from the hospital. Next time that overgrown flying rodent dropped her there he could damn well wait around and take her home again – or at least protect her from overly flirtatious interns and cabbies who should have gone home to bed hours ago. Or maybe she could stop picking fights with little kittens with bigger claws than one expected.

Lenorah wasn't one to back down from someone like that though. She had stood up to her parents when she had nothing to her name – worked her way through college and befriended an estranged aunt who had been nice enough to see to invest a small bit in her future. Gotham would still have factored into her plans even if she hadn't inherited anything from her aunt. The view from her windows would have been a great deal different, but she would have found some way to make things work.

She cursed as her cleavage started to ring. Designers either needed to find a way to bring pockets back to women's dresses, or she needed to like the idea of little annoying evening purses more.

"Crisis averted?"

"I … no, things fell through actually. Are you alright? I just caught the news."

She blinked. "I was on the news again?"

"Is there another Gotham socialite who likes to put herself in harms way as much as you do?"

"You're not standing outside my door again are you Wayne?"

"Um…"

"Bruce…" Lenorah sighed. "What are you doing in my building at this time of night?"

"What any decent person should do when they hear a friend was injured and taken to the hospital – see how bad things really are and if said friend needs any help." He let himself in. "And I believe we've talked about leaving your door unlocked."

She put her phone down on the counter. "I just got home myself."

Lenorah watched with veiled curiosity as he took in her bandaged arm and ruined dress. Which was too bad really, she had liked this one – and his reaction to it earlier that evening.

"How bad was it?"

"No stitches. Though I really could have done without the on-call intern trying to hit on me all night."

Bruce smirked. "I thought women loved it when cute doctors were interested in them?"

"Not when they're some kid fresh out of class and our interest is already traveling down a different path." Let him make of that what he wanted. "Besides, how could some snot nosed kid compare to either crazy man in my life right now? Would you rather I showed more interest in my doctor than you Mr. Wayne?"

His eyes were guarded as she waited for some sort of response. She had expected him to laugh her comments off, but the faint charge in the air around them was giving her different ideas. There was only one other man who had managed to make her feel weak at the knees like this with a look – and that idiot had granny dumped her at the hospital and run off as usual.

It had to be the painkillers kicking in that were subduing her common sense. Why else would she be so fascinated with the view of his neck where the tie had been removed and the first few buttons undone? Of course it was the pills making her fingers itch to smooth out the tousled strands that looked as if his evening had been as oddly stressful as her own. And it was most certainly the fault of those little white things she had swallowed at the hospital that had her feet moving towards him.

The only person who could have any idea of how she felt right then was Alice in her trip down the rabbit hole, though curiosity wasn't the strongest emotion running through her right then. It had to be another woman named Lenorah who was stupid enough to say what she did.

"I didn't even get my end of the evening kiss earlier."

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Bruce felt too warm right then, though he could feel the urge to shiver from how close she was. Lenorah's face was a mixture of many different emotions right then. Only an idiot would miss the desire at the fore of everything else. And he had never wanted to be such an idiot before. It was as right as it was wrong – and he should not have allowed himself to rest a palm on her cheek. Nor should he have allowed his head to tip forward so he could swallow the soft sigh that drifted past her lips as she leaned into him.

He didn't allow himself to get carried away this time. Right now would not be a good time to advertise the two crazy men she thought he had were different sides to the same coin. Bruce was saved from having to watch for any looks of disappointment when her phone erupted with the most annoying ring tone he had ever heard.

"This had better be an announcement of some dire emergency or I will drive up to Metropolis right now and strangle you."

She was standing close enough he could pick up on the female voice on the other side of the conversation. "Me? What about you? I wake up with a late night craving and I see on the news you were attacked!"

"Oh for the … you interrupted … for that? You couldn't have waited until later?"

"I interrupted what?"

"I do have something of a social life now Carrie, as you like to call and remind me of at least twice a week."

"David! Lee-lee had a date tonight and I'm interrupting it!"

Lenorah sighed, followed by a wince as she tried to pinch the bridge of her nose with her injured hand. "I really hate you right now Carrie. Even more than that time in third year when you blackmailed me into that stupid stunt."

"Oh, you totally enjoyed it you big baby. So, is he a good kisser?"

"You called before I could make a proper analysis of the situation." She winked at him before rolling her eyes. "How about you hang up and I decide to not ever kiss and tell?"

"That's no fun. You should indulge your favorite pregnant friend."

"Moron, you're my only pregnant friend."

Bruce took the phone from her with a chuckle. "I can assure you I'm an excellent kisser."

There was a long pause on the other end before a loud gasp and what he assumed was a squeal of delight. It was nearly as amusing as watching Lenorah's face loose all color at the next comment from her friend. "Oh my god, Lee was right - you do have the world's sexiest voice."

"So she's been talking about me then?" The blush on Lenorah's cheeks was enough of an answer.

"Is she blushing like crazy right now?"

"Yes."

"There's your answer Mr. Sexy Voice."

"Someday you'll have to tell me about this stunt involving blackmail. Sounds like an interesting story."

"Lee will kill me. But I'll let you get back to … well … whatever it was you two were up to before I called."

Lenorah was glaring at him as he reached around her to put her phone down again. "I will get revenge on the both of you someday when you least expect it."

"I look forward to it." He turned her towards her room. "Go get changed."

"You going to run away now?"

Bruce smiled. "Not unless you want me to."

She shook her head as she walked away. It was his chance to gather any evidence that might be out on the balcony under the guise of cleaning things up. Hopefully there would be a little more for him to go on the next day without searching out every woman in the city with a broken nose. Though Gordon would have his crew helping with that hopefully, since a uniform had been there to take her statement before the hospital let her go. At least that was his hope. The computers in the cave were tapped into every system available to help keep watch if anything made even the smallest blip.

Alfred had barely blinked when Bruce had told him what he was doing that evening. There had been a raised eyebrow and a knowing look but little else. The man's silent approval of the whole Lenorah matter was somewhat unnerving. No doubt he felt such because of his feelings of reluctance towards it all. He wanted to hold her close and push her away at the same time - that was enough to set anyone's world at more than just a slight tilt.

The balcony was straightened enough by the time she came out. He had his evidence to analyze later and pass on to Gordon if it was worth it.

"You didn't have to clean up. Thank you though."

"Better than just standing around like a useless lump." He shrugged. "You have a mop?"

"And here I was just going to plop a rug down and check into a hotel for a few days..."

Bruce couldn't help but laugh. "Avoiding it won't clean the floor."

"That's what cleaning services are for."

"Lenorah..."

"I'm tired and I don't really care that there's a little bit of blood on my kitchen floor. But there are such implements located in the corner by the fridge if you insist. Though a sponge in the sink would work for what little mess is there."

"Get yourself a drink and go sit down. I'll take care of it." He waved her towards the couch.

"That would make me feel guilty."

"Then grab a pair of sponges."

She gave him a look over. "Who are you and what have you done with Bruce Wayne?"

"Very funny. Get a sponge woman."

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

AN:

Another update for y'all. Trying to think of which direction I want to go in now ... Few different paths I could take, just can't quite make up my mind.


	16. Part 15

He had to keep his face carefully blank. She couldn't have figured anything out yet … he had been so careful since the scuffle involving Catwoman. It was just because she looked on him as a friend (or a little more than that perhaps) that Lenorah had brought this to him in the first place. Well, a copy of it anyway with the actual one in Gordon's hands. But perhaps he would see that one for himself if he was patient.

"Guess I made the little kitty mad."

"What was your first guess? The page full of carefully shredded photos of you?"

He waved his hand at the sheet of paper sitting before him covered with photographs of Lenorah that had been carefully put back together after being sliced into thin little strips. Most of the shots were ones of her alone taken from the papers. Though there were a few of the two of them together. It was somewhat creepy how carefully only Lenorah was cut up. Bruce wasn't sure this was done by the same woman who had up to now only stolen a few specific items that had caught her fancy.

Lenorah snorted. "She must like you though. Didn't touch a hair on your pretty little head. What I don't get is why she sent this to the club and not to me at home. Not like she doesn't know where I live. Or it could be someone completely different who has a fixation on you and has nothing to do with Miss Kitty."

"True. Except it still doesn't make much sense to send something like this to Club Zorellie telling them to put a leash on you if someone is stalking me." Bruce flashed a grin he didn't quite feel. "And as wonderful as I am, I'm sure I'd know if some crazy woman was out to get me."

"Why do I talk to you again Wayne?"

"You can't get enough of me Sorris and you know it."

She turned around in her seat to survey the door to his office. "How in the hell do you manage to fit your over-inflated head through that door every day? Or is that what the little blonde out front is for?"

"I'll have you know that Miss Fairview is a capable young woman."

"I just bet she is."

"You can't possibly be jealous of my assistant."

"That depends Mr. Wayne."

He leaned back in his chair as she got up and made her way around to perch on the edge of his desk. "Depends on what?"

"On which of us looks better perched on your desk like this. She does have a shorter skirt than I do after all."

"Miss Fairview is engaged to a guy in the research department." He did have a very nice view of a woman in a suit just barely on the other side of too sexy for actual work though. "And has never perched on my desk. So it would be an unfair comparison."

"You take all the fun out of it. I know your Miss Fairview is engaged. Her young man brought her flowers as I was waiting. What kind of woman do you take me for Mr. Wayne?"

"One that seems determined to keep me from the reports I'm supposed to be going over right now. I do have a meeting in twenty minutes."

"So that would be a no to helping me cross 'have wild crazy middle of the afternoon sex on some rich executive's desk' off my list today?"

Bruce found it hard to come up with any sort of witty response to such a casual statement. And his mind seemed to do just fine forgetting everything else important to delve into such fantasies as Lenorah's words brought to mind. He jumped when he felt her lips brush gently near his ear.

"You're welcome. Good luck looking at your desk and thinking of anything but me lying there wearing nothing more than these shoes." She pulled away, one finger gently pushing his jaw shut. "I did tell you I would have my revenge from the other night Mr. Wayne."

He didn't recover his faculties until she was at the door, turning back with a wink as she blew him a kiss. "Sorris…"

"Enjoy the rest of your day Mr. Wayne."

No one who had seen her leave questioned his less than stellar focus on things for the rest of the day. Though he did take note of the rather smug grin his assistant wasn't very good at hiding from then on. His only consolation for it was if she ended up torturing herself half as well as she managed to do him in that afternoon. She was the one who had the thought in the first place. Bruce could have done without her sharing it with him right then.

He managed to get through the rest of what was on his schedule that day somehow. Thankfully it was a lighter load than usual and only in house meetings. Heaven help the demon from hell in the shape of a rather attractive woman if he'd had any outside business that afternoon.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Lenorah had ducked into the gallery for a quiet moment to put her brain back together after Mrs. Furin and the other evil creatures from the Gotham Ladies Society had finished with her. She could always hope that Bruce would look at it as cosmic payback for what she had done before leaving his office. Not that it hadn't been hard enough to drag herself away after that. It was doubtful that she could ever look at that desk again and … better to not have those thoughts in public.

It was cool and calming. Like a museum only better because she was the only one there and there wasn't the background murmur of various voices of other patrons. There was a short little blonde at the front desk who bore a remarkable resemblance to the tart in a bad wig Wayne had been photographed with not too long ago. No doubt that was the source of the guarded hostile look the woman was giving her, but Lenorah doubted it was totally because of Bruce Wayne. Not when she looked close enough to see the makeup caked on her face. Either the woman had something to hide or she just really liked makeup more than she should.

The collection of paintings and sculptures was enough to distract her, though she did manage to snap a quick shot of the scowling blonde and send it to Bruce. Lenorah had no idea why she thought to send it to him first, just that it made sense right then.

"Ma'am, I'm afraid we don't allow photography here in the gallery."

"Oh … I'm terribly sorry, I didn't see any signs or anything. It's just I saw this one piece and thought a client of mine might like it. They're out of town right now or I'd just drag them in with me." Lenorah flashed the same saccharine grin she had used at the singles auction. "I'll put my phone away now, promise."

She watched as the woman stalked back towards her desk. The movements matched, but Lenorah knew that her suspicions weren't enough. Just because everything pointed towards this woman being the cat skank from her roof didn't mean she was. It could just be a woman who hated her for no other reason than she had long legs, a decent pair of tits, and was currently rumored to be Bruce Wayne's repeat squeeze of the week. There were plenty of glares directed her way for any of those reasons every day.

The gallery had a rather excellent selection, and she found there were pieces that would work well with her ideas for some of the public spaces in the building. Today was not a good day to buy anything though. Not if the angry blonde was the only one working. Lenorah hated to do business with someone who was both having a bad day – and who wasn't professional enough to keep such things suppressed for the sake of a sale. It was better than when she had someone fawning all over her the entire time.

Part of her brain told her the thought she had as she was turning to leave was stupid. But once again it appeared she had no good little angel on either shoulder to keep her from doing something idiotic. Perhaps it was just that she hadn't had a good fight with anyone in a while. There were any number of things wrong with those thoughts, but that had never stopped her before. Lenorah leaned down slightly over the top of the little information desk.

"There are a few pieces I am interested in purchasing. However since you've done nothing but glare at me since I walked in the door I will come back either on your day off or when you can manage a more professional atmosphere." Her eyes flicked to the name plate a few inches away. "You have a nice day now Miss Kyle."

It killed her to turn her back on the woman, but no doubt the presence of a supervisor heard scrambling in the office behind the reception desk kept little Miss Kyle from doing or saying anything right then. Lenorah had just painted a bigger target on her back – but if that meant the little kitty cat singled her out, she wouldn't be off taking things from other people. And perhaps she could end up doing what a certain man with pointy ears and a cape had thus far failed at.

Her phone rang just as she reached the door, bringing a more genuine smile to her face that not even the late afternoon heat could diminish. "Hello darling. How was your day?"

"Don't darling me. Have you lost your mind today or something?"

"Careful now. You say things like that and I might start to think you care about me."

"You are the single most infuriating woman I have ever met. There's some crazy person out there possibly wanting to harm you and you spent how long in the same room with a possible suspect?"

"I don't think the letter was from Miss Kitty now." Lenorah sighed. "Besides, she has nothing on my mother. If I can survive her, I can survive anything."

"Lenorah…"

"Yes Bruce?" She joined the small mob of people waiting to cross at the intersection. "If she is who I suspect her to be, she'll go after me before anyone else. Though perhaps I should let someone official know before I put myself out there as bait."

"Perhaps?"

"Bruce, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

He very nearly growled. "That doesn't mean you go out and do the first stupid idea that comes up."

"How was I supposed to know she worked there? I just stepped into the gallery for a moment of peace to recover from being ambushed by the Gotham Ladies Society earlier. You think I'm evil, spend time with them planning a fund raiser." Lenorah snorted as she continued on down the sidewalk. "Mrs. Furin is scary beyond belief."

"Trying to change the subject now?"

"Maybe I'm tired of listening to you yell at me like I'm a child but am giving you a chance to redeem yourself before I shut my phone off."

"Alright, no more yelling." He sighed. "Will you get in the car then?"

"What?" Her attention shifted from the sidewalk full of people to the street – and the sleek silver car crawling along slowly not too far away.

"Took you long enough to notice."

"You could have said something. I was trying not to run into anyone while you were yelling at me."

"Everyone around you noticed the car."

Lenorah sighed. "Your cars don't impress me, therefore I am not in awe when you go driving down the street. I thought you'd have that figured out by now Bruce."

"You're serious, aren't you…"

She watched as he whipped into a parking spot further up the street. Today was just turning out to be the oddest collection of experiences ever.

"Now, if you had shown up on a bike or in a fancy ass truck … nah, I still wouldn't have paid attention to what was in the street. I'm not that kind of girl."

"No, you're not. I … damn. I'm needed back at the office. Are you going to get in the car or not?"

"Are you going to ask me nicely?" Lenorah waited next to the vehicle, one hand on her hip.

"Please, will you get your ass in the car?"

She gave him her sweetest smile as she settled into the leather seat. "Now, was that so hard?"

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Bruce tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he merged back into the downtown traffic. Lenorah had managed to turn things on their ear, spin them around and dangle them off the edge of a cliff. If he woke up the next morning and found gray hairs he knew exactly who he was blaming for it.

"There, I sent the photo and my suspicions to the detective I talked to the other night. Happy now?"

"No." Could a man break a steering wheel worth a few thousand dollars if he gripped it tight enough?

"You're acting more like an angry boyfriend than an odd friend who doesn't even have any benefits to look forward to tonight."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means exactly what I said. We're not a couple. We haven't made any agreements to be exclusive or anything of the sort. We're two people who occasionally get along – and occasionally piss each other off without the fun of make-up sex to look forward to afterward."

He darted in and around a few other cars. Perhaps no longer quite so angry at her as he was the whole messed up situation he had allowed himself to become entangled in. Bruce knew he should have tried harder to keep away from Lenorah. Things should have never gotten as far as they had – nor should it have happened as fast as it did. Except now that he was in the middle of it all he found it hard to turn back.

Oh, he could certainly end things if he applied himself in that direction. The only problem was he wasn't sure he wanted to do that anymore. Even with the part of him that never let him forget Rachel. Those experiences would forever shadow any choice he made – along with the desire to never put another person in such danger. Never mind the fact that Lenorah seemed to do well enough to put herself in harms way without any connection to either Batman or Bruce Wayne.

Was that the reason he wasn't trying harder to keep anything from developing? Rachel had been able to take care of herself well enough. It wasn't like she had needed him any more than Lenorah seemed to. Except, Lenorah wasn't afraid to fight dirty if the situation called for it. Rachel never would have allowed her hands to be dirtied in such a way. Bruce didn't even let the thoughts of how the two women reacted to his various masks enter into the debate. Doing that would put things a little too firmly in Lenorah's corner right then.

"Ground control to Mr. Wayne…"

"What?"

"Please tell me you've not been off in the clouds this entire time. I might have to let loose with a panic attack if you tell me you weren't really paying attention to the traffic just now."

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "I could do this blindfolded."

"Wait. Stop the car. I don't think we can fit both myself and your ego in here anymore." Lenorah snorted and rolled her eyes. "Your little phone thingy is blinking."

He answered with the quick flick of a finger. "Wayne here."

"Mr. Wayne, we found it. I hope you're not already back sir."

"No Miss Fairview, that's fine."

"Enjoy your weekend sir."

Lenorah leaned towards him as they waited for the light to change. "Your assistant said to enjoy the weekend. How would you propose we do that."

"We?"

"You're free to drop me off at home Mr. Wayne, if enjoying your weekend doesn't include me."

"Oh no Miss Sorris - for your own safety I don't feel I can leave you on your own."

The grin on her face was one that might have had a lesser man shaking in his boots.


	17. Part 16

A weekend of video games, pizza and beer had Bruce thinking he never wanted to see Lenorah with a real sniper rifle in hand. Or if he wasn't so lucky as to avoid such happenings to at least be standing right behind her. Of course, if he hadn't been an idiot and painted himself a target he wouldn't have as much to worry about. At least he had waited until the end of the weekend to ruin things.

Though – she had been the one to ask the question. Not that he could blame her. What woman wouldn't want to know why a man went hot and cold like someone had flipped a switch. Never mind how the mixed signals she received without even knowing it. Perhaps a better question would have been why Batman had no problem being closer to her and Bruce Wayne did.

He was certain he hadn't suddenly developed extra personalities. There were no blackouts, no moments of confusion that he could blame things on. Just the fact that it was easier to be himself when the cowl and cape kept him covered. Even that was a pathetic excuse though.

Bruce had two choices. He could either continue to enforce the little voice that was always telling him he was betraying Rachel's memory and have nothing more to do with Lenorah – or he could recognize the loss and the fact that life continues on after such. But had he ever truly moved on from the death of his parents? What had happened that night was part of the driving force that had started it all. And had he not clung to Rachel in some ways because she had known him before everything went to hell? Because she wasn't awed by his name or his money?

Though Lenorah had only known him for a few months now, she was remarkably astute in her observations of his character. Hell, she had offered to redo his office free of charge just because it bothered her that the space "wasn't him" – whatever that was supposed to mean. But the main point in her favor that he tried desperately to ignore every time he started thinking on the subject was the one area Rachel had come up short.

Batman.

It always came back to that. A subject that brought out two different reactions from two different women in his life, and things would probably never change in that regard. One had wanted little or nothing to do with his other self – the other had fewer problems with Batman than she did with Bruce.

"Do you not like it?"

Alfred's voice cut through his wandering thoughts. "What?"

"Dinner. You've hardly eaten anything. Though no doubt that spot on the wall you've been staring at is very interesting."

"What am I supposed to do Alfred?"

"Perhaps if I knew what the situation was?"

"Women." Bruce let his fork fall to his plate, dropping his head into his hands.

"In general or perhaps there is one in particular?"

Trust Alfred to pick up on that. No doubt the only other time he had been in such a state of confusion had been over Rachel – and look how well that whole situation had turned out.

"Master Bruce – this is one of those things I can't fix for you. The most I can say is life goes on and hearts heal as time passes." Alfred gave him a small smile. "Now clean your plate. Easier to think things over when you've a full stomach."

"Food won't solve my problems."

"It will solve one – not angering he who spent hours in the kitchen cooking so you can sit there and play with your potatoes. As I am here and this mystery woman is not …"

A raised eyebrow and a small gesture of his hand towards the plate of food was all that Alfred had to do. And it was true. Right then he couldn't do much of anything about Lenorah. He could eat though and attempt to not worry about certain things outside his control.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Alfred watched from the door for a moment before returning to the kitchen. Bruce needed to sort himself out and soon. Hopefully in a way that didn't leave the young man morose and further disconnected from the people around him. The older man wasn't going to hold his breath however. Past happenings couldn't be ignored.

But if the young master could take such risks with his life as he did every night he went out, perhaps taking a bigger step with this particular young lady wouldn't seem as daunting. Even with Rachel's specter hovering in a dark corner somewhere. Though Alfred had yet to meet Miss Sorris, she seemed like the type who wouldn't take such a haunting lightly. Which meant things could go either way. All he knew was he didn't want to see another shattered broken man as Bruce had become after Rachel's death.

The rest of the world hadn't seen it, Bruce was too good at keeping things concealed for that to happen. He had never been able to keep such things from Alfred though. Just as he couldn't hide his struggles now in deciding what to do about this woman who had turned things upside down with little effort. What the young master couldn't see was the faint shift in him whenever he talked with her and even occasionally when he didn't try to rein in his thoughts.

It wasn't too much of a surprise when Bruce breezed through, leaving the now empty plate next to the sink. The faint jangle of keys gave a clue as to his next destination. Alfred couldn't help but call out after him.

"I expect to meet this young lady sometime in the near future."

"Don't get ahead of yourself Alfred."

It may have been a little foolish, but Alfred had higher expectations for the woman who wasn't afraid to snog Batman than any other female that had come into their little corner of the world recently.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Dark angry music surrounded her. It had since everything had gone to shit earlier in the week. Not only had she made her somewhat dysfunctional relationship with Bruce worse, but she had also managed to piss off her only other friend in the world. Thankful that her schedule for the week was empty of everything, Lenorah had spent the last five days channeling her frustrations into the exercise bag in the dining room. When her arms started to give out, she threw herself into a wild dance routine until her legs felt like over cooked noodles.

Sleep only came in a few hours here and there – and it was often riddled with the nightmares she had thought long gone. Instead they came back with a vengeance. A part of her knew her current behavior wasn't healthy, but she wasn't sure she could trust herself around anyone right then. Carrie had managed to pull her out of such dark funks before, but not when she was hours away and pissed off at one Lenorah Sorris.

Her concentration off in some other direction meant she wasn't as focused as she should have been. The landing from her leap was off, her ankle twisting beneath her sending her to the floor in a sweaty pile of limbs. Pain fueled her anger and her frustrated screams blended into the music for a moment before tapering off into low exhausted sobs. Hot tears trailed down her temples into her hair. This was the lowest she had felt in a long time. There wasn't anywhere else to go when you were huddled in a sobbing lump on your dining room floor – alone – on a Friday night.

Lenorah didn't even register that someone was in the apartment with her until a pair of arms was suddenly there holding her against a warm solid chest. The familiar cologne filled her senses, though it took a while for some of the fog to lift from her brain. She had no idea how long they sat on the floor with nothing more than her angry music filling the room, but it was long enough for her to start to feel relaxed in a way she hadn't in some time. Then the rest of reality sank in and she realized what she must look and smell like right then.

"Is everything alright?"

With her hands on his chest, she pushed back far enough to look up into a pair of concerned blue eyes. "I … Why are you here?"

"Because I … the other day I didn't …"

"Um … I could really use a shower. And that would give you time to work out what you came to tell me."

She scrambled to her feet, limping away as fast as she could manage for the safety of her room. There was something different about him today. Lenorah wasn't sure if it was good or bad – but obviously he had come to some sort of decision.

Her head still felt full of fog, and she made it through her shower on autopilot. Little sleep, too much exercise and poor eating habits of the past week were finally catching up to her. Lenorah knew she had to try and keep it together long enough for Bruce to tell her whatever it was that had him at her place right then. She threw on an oversized t-shirt and made her way back out to the main living area, still toweling her hair dry.

He wasn't anywhere to be found. A wave of disappointment threatened to crash down around her until the opened balcony doors caught her attention. If she wasn't quite so sleep deprived she might have noticed them earlier.

"Bruce?"

"Out here."

She had a death grip on her towel as she stepped outside. "For a minute there I thought you'd left."

"Not yet."

Silence stretched out between them, creating a canyon of sorts Lenorah wasn't sure she could bridge. Or even should. He was the one who had let himself into her apartment again – and she was fairly certain the door had been locked this time.

"You asked me a question the other day and I … I ran away instead of giving you an answer." He was looking out over the city with his back to her. "There was … there was someone. We had been friends since we were children and maybe that's why I clung to the idea of the two of us as strongly as I did. When she …"

"Bruce you don't –"

He placed a finger against her lips, his eyes hard to read hidden in shadow as they were. "When she was taken from me I … everything stopped. Her death was my fault. I put her in danger and I couldn't keep her safe. And I don't … I'm not sure I could survive if something like that happened again. Twice now is too much."

"I understand." She stepped back, her eyes watching her hands as they twisted themselves around the towel she still held. "I …"

"No, I don't think you do." His hand lifted her chin, bringing her eyes back up to his. "I told you that so you would understand if I hesitate on occasion."

If she had been some sort of clockwork mechanism, no doubt the gears in her head would have ground to a screeching halt. Certainly after his lips claimed hers in a hungry kiss that was nothing like the two of them had shared before. This wasn't the tentative Bruce from before. In fact, there was only one other man who had managed to turn her to senseless mush with a kiss.

No … that's impossible...

Impossible or not, it made a certain amount of sense. Her body didn't seem to care too much who turned up the thermostat and promptly told her brain to shut up and just enjoy it. Unfortunately, it seemed the universe had other plans for them right then. A loud alarm beep made its way through the haze of lust between them, causing him to pull away with a breathless curse.

Lenorah caught something out of the corner of her eye. The beacon was enough to allow her brain to take over again. She didn't have to worry about feeling guilty for divided attraction anymore – now she just had to worry if he would actually return every time he ran off into the night. If her guess was correct. It wasn't as if he had come right out and said anything.

"I'm sorry ... I ..."

"Be careful." Her hands fiddled with the shoulders of his shirt. "Or I'll have to kick your ass the next time I see you."

He smiled and cupped her cheek with one hand. "I'll try."

"Don't make me bring Master Yoda out."

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

AN:

I'm starting to have fun with this again ... hopefully y'all are too. I'm guessing some of you are at least because I keep getting alerts of favorites and follows and such.

Question time for you out there reading this for this part of the adventure -

Do you want to see a certain guest star from Metropolis? (he will show up at some point in one of these tales ... I has plans for a few things)

OR

Do you want to see little Dick Grayson brought in sooner rather than later?


	18. Part 17

AN – 10-11-12:

Part 17 was rewritten and replaced after I wrote myself into a corner I didn't like … sorry about any confusion I've caused. Things should flow a little better again now.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Bruce winced as he ran a hand over his left side. A few lucky hits from some punk with a section of pipe who had come up from behind while he dealt with the other pair of idiots meant more bruises to try and hide. Lenorah's penthouse had been dark and closed up when he made a quick trip by. He hoped that meant she was getting some well needed rest.

Her appearance had been shocking. Dark shadows under her eyes had made them seem sunken and dull, without the bright challenge they normally were. It couldn't have all been from their less than cordial parting the weekend before. Something else had to of happened for her to drive herself to such a state in so short a time.

Faint music drifted down the hall once he reached the mansion proper. Alfred enjoying an evening to himself, though the humming along was somewhat louder than usual. Bruce could have joined him to see what had the man in such a good mood, but all he wanted right then was a shower and sleep. He would probably need all the rest he could get before Lenorah called him in a few hours when everything finally sunk in.

As he turned to take the stairs up, a loud knock echoed down the hall from the front door. He had to wonder who was out in a storm like the one that had started up towards the end of his patrol. Perhaps some motorist with a broken down car on the road had wandered towards the few visible lights. Or it was a ghost from his past come to collect. Bruce couldn't say which he would have preferred right then. He certainly wasn't expecting what met his eyes when he opened the door.

"Um ... Hi."

"What ..."

Lenorah gave him a nervous smile. "Sorry. I just ... There's been an emergency and I'm on my way to Metropolis. But I couldn't ... not without ..."

"Master Bruce, I did not raise you to leave young ladies standing outside in a storm."

The two of them jumped at the third voice. Bruce glanced over his shoulder to see Alfred there with a rather smug little smile on his face. Lenorah blushed, some of her hair plastered to her face from the rain.

"I really need to get going ... I just ... you don't just hint at what you did and walk away without ..."

Bruce took hold of her arm and pulled her into the house. "Without what?"

"I want to hear you say it. And then I really do need to get back on the road."

"What happened?"

"David was in a car accident. Carrie is ... she needs someone with her and I'm closer than either of their families." She rubbed a hand across her face. "But I couldn't go without ... without knowing if you trust me enough to say it or not. I ..."

There were any number of emotions battling it out on her face right then, though hope and frustration seemed to be towards the top of the pile. No doubt she was worried about her friends, but there was enough of her that needed to know for sure what he had meant to tell her earlier. Enough so that she went out of her way to come to the manor - which he knew was not on the way to Metropolis.

"Before anyone says anything else, would the young lady care for a towel?" Alfred had vanished and returned without either of them noticing.

"Oh ... yes, thank you. I'm Lenorah."

"Alfred. Can I get you something warm to drink Miss?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine."

Bruce found her attention riveted on him once again. He knew what she wanted to hear, but it didn't want to go past his lips now. Three little words. Two if he went for the contraction. Words a hell of a lot easier to admit to than deep feelings of love and affection. The thought of confessing how much he might have felt for her was less painful. Her guess was right. Why did she need to hear it?

"This ... I know this is probably crazy, but I really do need this from you." There was a pleading tone to her voice. "Please..."

He reached out to brush a stand of hair from her cheek. "If I tell you, will you promise me something?"

"What?"

"Don't drive to Metropolis in this mess."

Her mouth drew into a pinched little line. "I know how to drive Bruce."

"You shouldn't worry your friend more, and I can get you there sooner." Leaning forward he brushed his lips by her ear. "Besides. How would it look if anything happened to you after I told you I was Batman."

She relaxed more than he had seen her in a while. The thanks were there in her eyes as she reached up and touched his cheek with cool fingers. If the words were on her lips she didn't speak them. A soft brush of lips against his said more than enough.

"Now, what was that about me not driving myself to Metropolis?"

"Benefits of being around me. I have a private jet you know."

"How is it any safer to fly in this than drive?" Lenorah didn't look as though she believed him.

"I ... you won't be going alone?"

She laughed. "While it's wonderful that you're concerned for my safety, I think it will be better if I drive. By the time you get your pilot dragged away from their home and to the airport I will be mostly on my way to Metropolis."

"I won't win this one, will I?"

"No." She kissed him again. "But you get points for trying. And I'll call when I get there if that will be acceptable."

"I suppose."

"And what will you do with yourself while I'm gone?"

"I'll find a way to keep myself entertained."

"There's that stray cat issue that needs tending. Think of the fun we could have when I get back if there wasn't anything like that to get in the way."

Bruce shook his head. "There will always be something as long as I'm ..."

"There will be quiet times between such events I'm sure. And not so quiet times as they happen. Now, I need to be going before it gets any later."

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

It had been two weeks since that night. In an ideal world the woman he shared his most important secret with wouldn't have left town that very moment. Bruce had long ago figured out the world was far from ideal.

If things in Gotham hadn't been as quiet he probably wouldn't have cared as much. There had been no sign of Catwoman since her scuffle with Lenorah – and the woman from the gallery had chosen to take her long overdue vacation at the same time. With no way to prove the connection between the two he couldn't do more than give Gordon the vaguest of hints. They could do little more than wait for her to make a move now.

Instead, he got to hear about Metropolis every few days. Lenorah was apparently as impressed with the place as he was – which wasn't a shining endorsement. A more insecure man would have bristled at hearing his somewhat girlfriend talking about another man as much as this Clark person had been brought up in conversation. Bruce wasn't worried though, he could hear in her voice how the reporter from some small town in Kansas wasn't on the radar. Still, the guy had made some sort of impression on her.

The streets below were quiet. No doubt something was happening somewhere, but there was no action around him right then. There was something in the air though – as if the city herself was tensed and waiting for something to happen. He couldn't say what it was, he could only hope that when the tensions released that things wouldn't end up too bad. Unless he was just projecting his own anxiety right then.

She was supposed to have checked in already. Lenorah said she would call and that had been three hours ago. It was stupid of him to get this way, but his mind always went back to that night when he had failed to save _her_.

He hadn't thought of Rachel as often as he once had. Those thoughts only came to light when he found himself alone with a little extra time on his hands. There was a certain amount of relief when he returned to the Tumbler and had a call alert start beeping at him.

"Yes?"

"Oh, you're out working aren't you..."

"Just finished patrol actually. How is Metropolis tonight?"

"Happily behind me." Lenorah sighed. "This is the first time I've ever been glad to come home to an empty place."

"Home alone then?"

"Mmm ... indeed. Though I am not adverse to a visitor if he were nearby and had nothing better to do."

"Is that so?"

"Limited time offer."

He laughed. "How limited?"

"Until I crawl into bed. But I can't say for sure when that will be." A muffled yawn was heard. "Though my money would be on not all that long. Tired person here."

He chuckled. "Maybe I should just swing by tomorrow afternoon when we're both rested up."

"Only if you want to be on my shit list."

"Be there in five."

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Lenorah stretched as she made her way out to the balcony. While it had been nice to see her friends again, even if David had been a bit of an invalid with a busted arm and a bruised hip, she had never been so glad to leave a place in her life. Gotham twinkled below like a dark jewel. No annoying flashy bits for this place. This old girl didn't need to be bright and flashy to be grand.

A part of her had hated to leave. Yet it had been an easy decision when both their mother's showed up. It had also helped to know they had a friend like Clark there to keep an eye on them as well. The man hadn't let the big city change him yet, and she hoped he wouldn't let it happen in the future.

Her hair drifted around her head in the faint evening breeze. It was joined shortly by a familiar flapping sound. She turned with a smile on her face. "I'm not sure what I missed more."

"Am I near the top of the list at least?"

The rough raspy voice sent a shiver down her spine. "Maybe."

She could answer with more words if she wanted. Talking wasn't exactly what she wanted right then. He was at least close enough she could launch herself at him. Batman - Bruce - whatever he wished to be called right then - seemed to be prepared for such actions and caught her with little effort. It wasn't long before she was stuck in one of her favorite spots. As if anyone could resist being pinned between a wall and a rather attractive man in well shaped body armor.

Such scenes had played out in her mind each night as she fell asleep. There had even been a few rather stimulating dreams. It was the first time she had allowed herself to become so involved with any one person in such a way. Carrie would have laughed herself silly if Lenorah had thought to share such information with her. How close she wanted to be to one Mr. Bruce Wayne was not information she was ready to share though.

"Who missed who more?" She let out a breathy sigh as he nipped the side of her neck.

A low rumbling growl was the only response.

"Don't people usually talk to each other first when they've been apart for a while?"

He pulled back with a faint huff. "Didn't we already do that on the phone before I came over?"

"I suppose we could look at it that way."

"And you jumped me."

Lenorah laughed. "Yes I did. And you enjoyed every minute of it."

"Perhaps."

"Tease."

There was a dark grin on his face. "You're running around dressed like that and you call me a tease?"

"It covers what it needs to. I thought you liked me in my shorty short things?"

"If you had pants and shoes on I would consider kidnapping you."

"As in, drop over the side of the building with me to parts unknown?" Her eyes grew wide. "Who the hell needs pants and shoes for something like that?"

"You said you were tired..."

She scowled at him. "You do not make an offer like that and try to take it back a mere moment later buster."

"Hold on tight then."

Lenorah's breath caught in her throat as he took two steps away from the wall and launched them over the edge of her balcony wall. It took a great deal of self control not to whoop with excitement and draw the neighborhood's attention to them, but somehow she managed.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

AN:

I'm really sorry for the delay everyone. I had to rewrite this part because I may have rushed things and made a mess of it. Sorry if you liked what was originally written, but I just couldn't manage to like anything I wrote after it. I tried and tried but it just wasn't working.

I've also been beta-ing another Dark Knight fic for someone (and it's quite good) and haven't been writing much. And of course I'm going to be hit or miss come November because of Nanowrimo where I probably won't do much for this story unless I'm ahead on my other writing.


	19. Part 18

Bruce woke with a faint groan. His neck felt like someone had bent and folded it in the wrong direction and then attempted to return it to normal. He must have ... grown his hair out over night. Grown it out into long wavy curls.

It took a moment before his sleep clouded mind caught up with reality. He was not in his bed, but a couch in some family room he didn't remember picking out. And the extra head of hair attached to the body stretched out on the other length of the sprawling mass of furniture was female and one he had brought into the house himself. The first woman actually he had willingly welcomed into his house.

If by house he meant bringing her into a place no one outside of himself and Alfred had ever seen and then staying up talking until the sun came up before crashing on the fore mentioned couch.

Lenorah was so very different from anyone else he'd come to know. Not that he hadn't already thought such, but last night had cemented that fact for him. While there were plenty of crazy thrill seekers who would have clung to him as he dropped over the edge of a building, he doubted if they would have the self control to not make a sound through the ride. And who wouldn't want to drive the Tumbler when they saw it? A lot of people he guessed, so she wasn't unique in that regard. She did make him promise to let her drive someday.

It was her reaction when they had finally come to a stop in the cave that managed to put a stupid looking grin on his face again. She had climbed down from the Tumbler and spun in a slow circle with her mouth partly open. Those green eyes had taken in everything and returned to him coupled with a warm smile.

_This is you - now I know why your office bothers me so much._

She had then insisted on a tour. Which he agreed to if she could wait long enough for him to change. It took a little longer than normal to shed his armor, but he would never look at the storage vault the same again, that was certain. They hadn't even done anything more than kiss a time or two ... or five or six ... a snog session as she had called it. Followed then by a roll of her eyes and a muttered curse involving Carrie and Potter fan fiction. Bruce had decided he was better of not knowing all the details on that one.

When her shivers could no longer be passed off as merely delight, he had moved the party upstairs. Though she hadn't been nearly as interested in the house as she was in what lay hidden beneath it. It wasn't all that surprising when he thought about it. Lenorah had been more partial to Batman in the beginning after all.

She stirred, pulling him from his trip through last night's memories. Her face was anything but calm and peaceful, and he was reminded of how she had looked only a few weeks ago. What could haunt her so much that she could fall apart so fast? Bruce wasn't sure how to bring that subject up, but he knew he couldn't ignore it for long. Lenorah would no doubt scowl at him if he said it was more important than the stray cat issue.

Her face didn't even relax much as he brushed the backs of his fingers along her cheek. Whatever held her in the darkness wasn't letting go easily. He couldn't decide if it was better to leave her be or wake her now so he waited. Perhaps it wasn't that bad of a dream after all. Lenorah wasn't tossing and turning or muttering to herself. She simply looked like she would rather be elsewhere. Bruce recalled his own such dreams and figured he wouldn't have liked a rude awakening in the middle of it all. He settled for a different approach.

It took a little while, but her eyes finally began to flutter open after he began his gentle touches to her face and hair. Half awake still she didn't realize she was making contented sounds like a dog or a cat as she turned her head to maximize contact with his hand.

"Are you my girlfriend or my cat?"

She froze under his caress, one eye rolling upward to catch his gaze as he leaned over her. "What?"

"I said ..."

"I heard what you said. And I am insulted you would link me in any way to anything feline - but more curious about the other part." Lenorah rolled over onto her back, gazing up at him now with both eyes. "You mentioned something else..."

Bruce would find out someday why she needed such concrete reassurances for things. Today was not going to be that day however. If he had learned anything it was taking more serious topics slowly where Lenorah was involved. He traced a finger along her jaw.

"Shall I spell it out for you?"

She nodded in reply.

"I have never willingly shown someone what you saw last night. I was ready to give it all up in the past to ... I'm sure you can guess why. Now I'm too deep in it all to even think of such. And then you came along and I ..."

"Bruce," her hand came up to rest on his lips. "I only wanted to hear you call me your girlfriend again. In light of your confession, I would withdraw myself before you ever had to come to such a choice again. There is no choice really. One person versus an entire city? I'm insignificant compared to that."

She let out a faint squeal as he pulled her up into his lap. Bruce felt her hands tighten on his shoulders as he cupped his hands on her cheeks. The words he wanted to say didn't seem inclined to make it past his lips. How in the hell was he supposed to respond to something like that? People – women – didn't just say they understood if a city full of people came first. He doubted the commissioners wife was even quite so understanding.

"So I'm not normally so profound right after I wake up. And that's not to say I won't be angry or disappointed or what have you if one too many dates in a row were canceled because of random acts of violence around town – but I wouldn't pack up and leave unless you wanted me to." She smiled. "Besides, I'm sure we could find productive ways for you to make up such absences. And …"

"Yes?" He wondered at her hesitation.

"I want to help you … if you'd let me. And not just at this distraction you've created with the public face of Mr. Wayne." Her grip on his shoulders tightened again. "If I'm going to be the one helping with excuses when you have to leave a party or whatever, I'm going to see some proper results from it. You could use me for more than that."

"Is that all?"

Her grin took on a dangerous edge. "Well, there are some land acquisitions in my neighborhood I could use some help with…"

"So you just want me for my business connections then?"

"Of course not." Her face drew into a quick scowl before moving to where she was straddling his lap, her hands resting on his chest. "I want you for your body Mr. Wayne, and the bonus room in your basement. Everything else is just icing on the cake."

Lenorah claimed his lips before they could exchange any further words. They both tasted of scotch and sleep, though he doubted that was what made this kiss so much more than any other the two of them had indulged in. This one came on the heels of the woman telling him she accepted all of him fully – wanted him because of who he truly was instead of what he showed to the world at large. Neither of them fully knew the other yet. Such knowledge would come in time. After his brain recovered from whatever it was she had just done with her tongue.

They parted only long enough for her to pull his shirt off and toss it away to locations unknown. She traced each scar with lips and warm fingertips, making him tingle from head to foot. It had been a long time since he allowed himself to enjoy anything like this. Not that a pair of hungry lips were giving him much of a choice right then. Letting himself go was easier than he thought it would be.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Lenorah chuckled softly as the hand resting on her hip tightened its grip.

"You can stop laughing now." His lips grazed the sensitive spot behind her ear. "You're going to bruise my ego if you keep it up."

"I'm not the one who failed to notice the tattoos on the woman who has been nearly naked in front of you plenty of times before today. I can laugh at you for that if I want to."

"Evil ... that's what you are. Pure evil in an attractive wrapper." He traced a finger around the grim reaper that adorned her flesh. "With twin marks to prove it."

"You didn't think I was evil ten minutes ago."

"You were making different noises then."

She squirmed as he nipped at her shoulder. While her expectations had not been overly high, she felt certain they had been met and then some. Maybe it was the fact she hadn't been with anyone in what seemed like forever. Or it might have had something to do with the man in question. They hadn't known each other all that long, but it hadn't taken them long to understand some of the more important things about each other.

Sure, there were still some skeletons in her closet that she would probably need to flesh out at some point. Bruce didn't seem in a hurry for her to do that, so she wasn't all that worried. It wasn't that she didn't want to do it. She just didn't want to do it right then.

"Alright, I won't laugh anymore. Will that put you back in a good mood?"

"I have a naked woman on my couch. I'm already in a good mood."

"Apparently you should have a naked woman on your couch more often, get that scowl off your face. Course, now I'm probably going to wipe it right off."

Bruce rolled her over to face him. "Not going to laugh at me again are you?"

"No. I had an idea about that stray cat problem."

"I'm not going to like this, am I..."

"Just listen." She placed a finger against his lips. "We know she doesn't like me. We know she likes expensive shinies. And we know the fund raiser for the clinic is coming up soon. So what about a trap baited with something too tempting for her to resist?"

"She's not stupid."

"I know that. But I've made her angry. That could mean she's not going to be calm and rational about things where I'm concerned." Lenorah sighed. "Plus why wouldn't she want to try and steal a special shiny from me? Even if she wouldn't come to the event - she does know where I live. There's nothing saying she wouldn't do some recon at the fund raiser and come after me later on."

"There are some rather large holes in this idea of yours."

Lenorah sighed. "I know that. I didn't have a lot of time to flesh it all out properly. That's why I'm telling it to you now. So you can help with it or come up with something better. Or I don't know."

"We have some time to think about it. Not sure I actually like it much, but you have a point I guess."

"You guess? What brilliant thing did you have in mind? Because your results thus far have been so very impressive."

"Hey now."

"Sorry, but it's the truth. You could have clocked the bitch over the back of the head that day at my place and this would be all over already."

His face went still, blue eyes turning to shards of ice. "You were bleeding."

"It wasn't life threatening." Lenorah felt his body tensing to move and tightened her grip with both arms and legs. He didn't get to run away from this. "You could have caught her and then dropped me off at the hospital. But since I bear a certain amount of responsibility for her escape, I thought it only right that I attempt to come up with a way to catch her."

"So next time I'm just supposed to just let you bleed all over your kitchen floor?"

"If there is ever a next time, I trust you to use your own judgment. That said, if it isn't life threatening I'm sure medical treatment could wait."

She waited with as much calm patience as she could muster. Perhaps it hadn't been the best time to bring up the subject, but it wasn't like she had to wait until they were sitting down for dinner or anything. If he wasn't used to her odd ways by now, he probably wouldn't ever be.

Lenorah had no idea how long the chilled silence sat between them. All she knew was that he wouldn't leave the room without addressing some part of what she had said. He had to see the logic in the situation. If she - or anyone really - were not in immediate danger then the task at hand was always going to be more important. Maybe she wouldn't always be so forgiving of him needing to be elsewhere at the drop of a hat, but Bruce being Batman made a hell of a lot more sense than random overseas business emergencies.

His body finally relaxed just a little in her constrictor like grip. "Do you have to make sense right now?"

"It's a rare thing. Savor the moment."

"Lenorah..."

She trembled at the growling edge to his voice. "Yes?" Someday she might tell him exactly what that low raspy voice did to her.

"You're serious about this?"

"All of it."

Blue met green, followed by lips on lips and the room melted away around them again.


	20. Part 19

Alfred hummed softly to himself as the shower upstairs came alive. He had only caught the tail end of the earlier activity in the house, thank the lord, though it was high time the young master had gotten over himself and began to enjoy life again. That didn't mean Master Bruce wasn't going to get away without a gentle reminder that perhaps next time he should see that the door to whatever room he occupied was closed.

The master was currently in the den, which meant the young lady was the one upstairs in the shower. Alfred had the feeling she wouldn't embarrass quite as easy as Master Bruce. And it wouldn't be nearly as satisfying to attempt such with her.

"Alfred, how long are you going to linger in the doorway?"

"I wanted to make sure you weren't busy young man. One never knows what they might walk into when doors aren't closed in this house."

It was a rare sight to see Bruce Wayne uncomfortable. Alfred knew he was the only one who ever saw this side of the young man. He knew he was the only one who ever saw the red currently working it's way up Bruce's neck.

"Is the young lady staying for dinner?"

"I believe so. You're welcome to go up and ask her Alfred."

"I'm in no hurry Master Bruce."

He didn't need to press the matter. The information was passed and it was a safe assumption in this case that there would be an extra place setting needed at dinner that evening. Better to withdraw and allow the young man to recover himself.

The sight was one that wouldn't leave him any time soon. That much Alfred was sure of.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Bruce wasn't sure if he wanted to ever leave his den again. How could he have not noticed the door to the room was open? How could he have allowed himself to miss such an important detail? If this is what Lenorah could do to him in his own home... and there his thoughts ground to a halt again. This was about what Lenorah had done to him, and what he had done in return. And if he said he hadn't enjoyed it he would be the world's greatest liar.

Only an idiot would do something like that in the wake of their earlier activities.

He still wasn't all that comfortable with the knowledge that Alfred had nearly walked in on them at some point. Or that the man had heard what was going on in that room ... what had occurred on the couch he would never be able to look at again in the same way. His mind drifted along the more pleasurable paths from earlier.

There was no saying how long he allowed his thoughts to wander. Long enough that he was surprised with a bit of cold wet hair against his cheek as Lenorah leaned over his shoulder.

"I bet I know what you're thinking of."

"Oh really?"

She laughed softly as she perched on the edge of his desk. "The rather dopey look on your face tells me everything. Though now you seem to have gone into a slight bit of panic."

"We didn't ... I mean ... I didn't ..."

"Oh ..."

Bruce wasn't sure he liked the look that stole over her face right then. Granted it was a little late to worry about certain things, but he had to know before they allowed themselves to be so caught up in the moment again. It just wouldn't do.

"You worried about little junior Brucies running around?" She picked at something on the surface of the desk. "Is that it?"

"Well, yes."

"Sorry to say, you won't ever have the pleasure of such if you keep me around. I am no longer able to reproduce."

He couldn't help the haze of confusion that came over him. "What does that mean?"

"It means if you want Bruce junior running around someday you're barking up the wrong tree. Why else would the daughter of an old money east coast family not be sold off as breeding stock already."

"They don't do that anymore."

Lenorah sighed. "Oh, you poor innocent little man. Of course they do. That's the only reason my father accepted my presence in the house until the accident. After that, when I couldn't be of any use to him for whatever political or social maneuvering he had planned, he stopped being much of anything to me."

"Accident?"

"That's what was reported. The family knew the truth, though I'm not sure why both my brothers blame me for it. Wasn't like it was the first time my mother attempted to kill herself. Just happened to be the time she decided to wrap the car around a tree with me in the back seat. I was fifteen at the time.

"She came out of it with a broken arm and a few cuts and scrapes - and a one way ticket to the loony bin. I was impaled by something and while I survived, various internal bits did not. Long story short, I will never get to experience the joys of pregnancy." She glanced up at him. "That answer your question?"

Bruce looked up at her, no doubt showing the shock he felt on his face for once. "How in the world are you not ..."

"Crazy?" Her lips twitched up in a pained little smile.

"Yes."

"Aunt Muriel, lots of therapy, and alcohol. Sometimes all three together, though I'm pretty sure burning down the gazebo was more her therapy moment than mine." She shrugged. "And then I moved to a new city and met this guy who is so beyond normal that I feel I fit right in. I mean, dude who dresses up in body armor and calls himself Batman can't be all that sane. What would he do with a normal girlfriend?"

"Probably not have one for very long." He stood and pulled her into his arms. "And someday I want to hear about this burning gazebo. But first I believe Alfred has dinner ready."

"Mmm... wild sofa sex and dinner afterwards. Mr. Wayne, you sure do know how to show a girl a good time."

"Are you sure you're alright?" He could feel a tightness in her lower back that belied the mostly calm look on her face. "I didn't mean to-"

"Bruce, while those are not my fondest memories to recall by any means, I've had plenty of time to learn how to not shatter under the pressure." She rested her head on his shoulder. "Not exactly how I imagined this evening going, but I suppose I should have seen it coming."

"You're still tense."

Lenorah sighed. "Of course I am. I just informed you I can't ever provide Brucey junior and you didn't show much reaction to that. So either you don't care about kids, you're undecided, or you're going to keep your mouth shut and dump me for a breeder later on."

He brought his hands up to her face, holding her in place so she couldn't look away. "You're thinking further ahead than I am. I'm doing good to look to the end of the week some days. There's a chance that one day I will go out one night and never come back. That situation would be hard enough on the woman in my life, let alone children."

"You're not just saying that are you?"

"Of course not. Children are a luxury I probably can't afford. Batman can't give up everything to change a diaper or stop for formula or...I don't know."

She let out a shaky little laugh. "That's an interesting mental picture."

"Not quite sure I like that one." He rested his forehead against hers. "But I'm starting to like the idea of having someone to come home to."

"What about Alfred?"

"Alright, someone in addition to Alfred."

"He was here first. I wouldn't want to upset the balance."

Bruce chuckled. "I don't think he'd mind too much."

"Well, if I am to be here waiting for you to return, you had best work on that maybe not coming home thingy."

"I will do my best on the coming home thingy."

"You'd better."

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

AN:

Been trying to work on a few scenes here and there between Nano madness. I redid this one twice now, but I think this works okay….not like y'all get a choice or anything. I'm thinking I need to finish up the crap with our little cat burglar so I can move onto more fun stuff in the second story. Like that guest star y'all voted on earlier.

And not so fun stuff that Batman just might hate me for. *evil author grin*


	21. Part 20

Lenorah stared at herself in the mirror. It was an attempt to control herself before she killed both Mrs. Furin and the fashion designer. Not that what she was wearing was so bad - it was rather nice actually. It was just what they wanted her to do for this damn fund raiser. She was having a bit of a hard time wrapping her brain around what they had decided to do.

"Oh ... Franco, you've outdone yourself." Margorie fluttered in the background.

"I couldn't resist when I knew who I would be working with. One can't let a chance to work with such a body go to waste." The man was just a little too smug. "I never thought I would get to work with Busty Grim in any way."

"And you got more Zorellie dancers talked into this?" Lenorah wondered aloud.

"Oh yes dear. I would have gotten in touch with you, but you had that emergency in Metropolis and it was no trouble at all for me to go down and meet with the ladies. Mama Zee was so nice and actually excited to be able to help." Margorie smiled up at her. "And Franco at least was pleased to work with the girls."

"One gets tired of the same little stick figures all the time. Give me a woman with real curves. And you have those in abundance Miss Sorris." He held up the rest of her costume. "Now, let's slip this on and complete the look. Once I know it fits I'll have you test the taking off part."

"And there will be a mask for me right?"

Franco smiled, though it wasn't a look Lenorah was sure she trusted. "But of course. I remember the times I saw you perform. I wouldn't forget the most important part of your costume fair lady."

She still couldn't believe this was what they had decided on. Obviously there were hidden depths to the older matrons of Gotham. Depths that led them to choose a lingerie show strip tease for the fashion element of the evening. With regular models going around in simple black frocks showing off other jewelry and taking donations while Zorellie girls were up on stage showing off the clothes put together specifically for the event.

If this didn't draw in the little cat bitch, Lenorah wasn't sure what would. And it fit nicely with her other idea that was now in Bruce's court. She just had to make it through this fitting and the prospects of working the stage again for the event. It had been a while now since her last show as a dancer. Not that one ever forgot, but still.

"What I don't believe is that you hid this from us young lady. I can't tell you how long we've been searching for someone like you." Margorie popped a chocolate into her mouth with an evil little grin. "We get so tired of the same old thing all the time. And now we've you in to spice up the mix. Alexis was beside herself with joy when she found out what Franco wanted to do."

"I feel like I've fallen into the Twilight Zone."

The two evil people in the room laughed at her and continued in their little mad caper. Lenorah wasn't sure she would actually survive what they had planned. It would be worth it if Bruce came through and cemented the deal that would have the cat on their doorstep for certain. As if he sensed her thinking about him, her phone started to ring. Margorie let out a little squeal when she noticed who came up on caller ID.

"It's Bruce dear, shall I answer it?"

Lenorah sighed. "Go ahead."

"Lenorah's phone ... No, she's here, just in the middle of a fitting for our fashion show. We've convinced her to get up on stage Mr. Wayne ... of course, just a moment." Margorie made her way towards the platform. "You can spare her a moment can't you Franco?"

Lenorah snatched the phone up before the designer could respond. "Please tell me you have good news."

"Very good news. Though it sounds as though you're in the middle of something interesting."

"I will find you and hurt you."

He laughed. "Calm down. They're willing to assist us - both in terms of the fund raiser and the rope-a-dope you've talked me into."

"Yes!" She did a little happy dance on the platform, to Franco's immediate dismay. "They actually wanted to help with the fund raiser? I ... you are amazing."

"Yes, yes I am."

"Egotistical ass."

"And you wouldn't want me any other way. Now, I have to get back to work. Try not to impale yourself on too many pins."

Lenorah tossed Margorie her phone to hold again. "We have the Royal Jewelers coming to assist with the fund raiser."

Franco had no problem with happy dances then. Though he did make the both of them get back to the task at hand after a few minutes celebration.

For the first time in a long time, things were looking up.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

It was there on the front page of the society section. The goal of a lifetime - the ultimate heist from the best venue she could ever hope for. Not only could she score something as grand as a collection from Royal Jewelers, but to do so from under the nose of that bitch that had thwarted her before. Possibly even from under Batman's nose as well.

She had to decide if she wanted to find someone to take her to the event. And soon. It was only in a couple of weeks. The paper trembled in her grasp, she was that excited about what she could accomplish with this one. And she would be able to rub it in every rich nose she possibly could.

Her hand pulled away to reveal a handsome male face. While it certainly wasn't Bruce Wayne, it was close enough to be worthwhile. And she was sure this one was easier to flatter and seduce with a heavy dose of the charms she had spent so long cultivating.

Selina smiled as she moved towards her closet. They wouldn't know what had happened until well after she was gone.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

_Gotham Globe_

_What's Happening Gotham - with Stacey Munroe_

_Hello Gotham! I'm back - and can I just take a moment to say how much I've missed this great city of ours? Really. The rest of the world can have their Metropolises and Hollywoods - give me Gotham any time. And this time I'm here to stay. No more running off after crazy things for this girl._

_And what better news to come back to than the rumors that Gotham's number one bachelor isn't quite so anymore. Can it be that our very own local prince has finally found his princess? I admit I don't know a great deal yet about this Miss Sorris, but I will be the first to say that she looks damn good on the arm of Mr. Wayne. So good that I wonder these two hadn't found each other before this. Just where were you hiding yourself before Miss Sorris?_

_I hope I'll get to see them and some other well loved faces of Gotham society at next week's benefit. Not only is this fund raiser for a great cause, but it sounds like a lot of fun. Fashion and jewels and a night out on the town._

_Oh Gotham, how I've missed you!_

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

AN: Just a quick little one here to get a few things moving. =)


	22. Part 21

"I can't believe you won't tell me what you're wearing." Bruce caught Lenorah's grin out of the corner of his eye. "Doesn't my status and my contribution towards the event give me the right to knowing before everyone else?"

"I'm keeping it a surprise because I want to see the look on your face when I'm finally on stage."

"But I already know about the lingerie show part. Mrs. Furin wasn't very good about keeping mum you know."

"The theme of the party wasn't supposed to be secret. But I don't have to tell you what I'll be wearing. You'll find out in a few hours same as everyone else."

He gave her a playful glare as the car pulled to a stop before the building. She wasn't to be moved by such things, so he wouldn't be able to get anything out of her. Mrs. Furin probably wouldn't give much either, and the designer certainly wouldn't. Franco wasn't known for talking about his designs until after their reveal.

"Enjoy your evening Miss Sorris, Master Bruce."

"Thank you Alfred."

They spent their moment posed on the sidewalk outside the hotel to add their faces to the best dressed list (he had never been on a worst dressed list, and never would). Lenorah waved and blew kisses to the paparazzi she favored before taking his hand and dragging him past the annoying ones expecting them to stop for a comment or two. It hadn't taken him long to learn of Lenorah's absolute hate of interviews. Photos were fine - as long as they weren't of anything important or like someone was stalking her through the grocery store.

The Gotham Grande was in fine form again. Though this time the windows to the large room at the top of the stairs were covered with curtains. No free peeks at this particular show. He supposed that made sense - just the same as the large bouncer looking types guarding the entrance.

"Mama Zee doesn't let her girls go out in public unless they're well guarded. And then she heard about the jewels and called in reinforcements." Lenorah answered before he could even ask. "Would you be willing to be a point of contact for Marcus if he can't find or get to me in a timely manner?"

"Of course. Though wouldn't it make more sense if he went to one of the Lady's Society members?"

She looked at him as though he had just gone crazy. "You weren't just suddenly replaced by aliens were you?"

"Alright, so that was a stupid thought."

He nodded to the beefed up young man to the left of the door who was studying him as though he were a bug. The kid might look askance at him, but he very nearly snapped to attention when Lenorah mentioned in a sweet little voice who she was and who she wanted to see. An older guard was welcoming other attendees at the other door behind them. Bruce could see how each person was scanned and catalogued through years of experience having to watch a slightly different type of patron. From what Lenorah had deemed him worthy enough to know, these men were some of the best in the business - trained in more than just muscling someone out the door.

"There's my girl! Look at you, all grown up, or so you want us to think."

Bruce turned to see Lenorah being swept up in a hug by a veritable blonde giant. He didn't consider himself a small man by any means, but this one was tall and hairy looking enough to possibly be mistaken for a sasquatch at distance.

"Marcus, don't you muss my hair now." Lenorah pouted as she was set shakily back on her feet. "There's someone I would like you to meet. He's a better contact if things go south and you can't get to me.

"Marcus Filbey, Bruce Wayne. Bruce, this great ruffian is Marcus. He was one of my trainers."

The man's grip was firm, but not debilitating. Not that either of them had anything to prove to the other.

"So this is the famous Mr. Wayne." Brown eyes narrowed as they took him in. "Thought you'd be taller."

Lenorah rolled her eyes. "Marcus..."

"He's taller than you squirt, but not by too much. You've the look of a scrapper about you though, so you can't be all bad. Not if Lee here likes you anyway."

"Shall I leave the two of you here to bond, or whatever it is you men do at times like this?"

Marcus leaned towards him. "She's always been like that, just so you know."

"That part I managed to figure out."

They both found themselves subjected to a Lenorah glare, though the twitch at the corner of her mouth gave her away. Bruce staggered a step forward as Marcus slapped a meaty hand down on his shoulder.

"Oh, and that little buttercup you mentioned is already inside on some smarmy ass' arm. Don't like the look of either of them to tell the truth, but we've got two pairs of eyes on them at all time."

"Thanks Marcus. I'd best get in there before they send a search party out for me." She took his arm again, nodding to the two men at the door. "Our little friend took the bait."

"Let's just hope this trap of ours works like we want it to." Bruce slipped his arm around her waist as they entered the room. "And that she waits to trigger it until after you've done your bit on stage. I'm going to feel rather cheated if I don't get to see you."

"Behave yourself Mr. Wayne."

The two of them made a slow trip around the room. Of course she had to greet various people and thank them for attending. It wasn't until they were nearly finished that they finally ran into Dr. Forsythe closer to the bar. Bruce tried not to laugh at the poor man who looked so decidedly out of his element one had to feel sorry for him.

"Dr. Smythe, are you feeling alright?"

"I ... I'm a little overwhelmed Miss Sorris. This is ... will this really save the clinic?"

"That's the plan. Relax and enjoy the party doctor. And keep this one out of trouble while I'm off helping the girls."

Bruce rolled his eyes as she kissed his cheek and made her way towards the stage. Mrs. Furin could be seen waving in a rather frantic manner - no doubt panicking over nothing.

"Do you drink doctor?"

"Paul. Call me Paul, and if I didn't, this would surely make me want to drink."

"Not exactly your scene I take it?"

"I stitch gang bangers back together, and treat coughs and sniffles. No, this is so far from being 'my scene' that I think I'm on another planet. I just hope the aliens are gentle with their probing."

Bruce could help but laugh. "I'm sure Lenorah will keep them away."

"She is rather intimidating." The man clutched his beer glass as though it was attempting to escape. "But in a nice way, if that makes any sense. Her foot wasn't as numb as it should have been and she barely flinched when I was putting in the stitches. Then she asks for a sticker as gentle as the shyest child I've ever seen."

"Careful doctor, one might think you're mooning over a patient."

Paul's eyes widened to near comical proportions. "That's not … I mean I … Really I don't –"

Before the doctor could continue, or Bruce had to worry about having caused a panic attack, one of the jewelry models came up to escort them to their table. The two of them were somewhat surprised to find they had their own table they didn't have to share with anyone else. There were two empty chairs with reserved labels on them, but no one came to join them. Bruce thought the best part of the deal was being down in front.

The lights dimmed and a spot flared to life as a flustered Mrs. Furin and a more composed Mrs. Forsythe made their way onto the stage. Bruce took a closer look and decided Mrs. Furin had perhaps been attached to a bottle of champagne longer than she should have. It would prove to be interesting if the bubbly matron was piss drunk already. From the look on the other woman's face, Mrs. Forsythe didn't find the situation as entertaining as he did.

"Good evening. We would like to welcome you to our little show this evening." She gave the room a small practiced smile. "Do try and behave yourselves tonight. Because there are a great many young men in the room tonight who will remove you if you don't. Now, please join me in bringing Mr. Franco to the stage."

One thing that was nice about Forsythe being in charge, she never wasted time on flowery speeches. He tuned out as the man talked about his creations. Giving the room a lazy once over was more entertaining than some dope going on and on about fashion. He wasn't the only one with his attention elsewhere.

The woman they suspected as being the thief was making a careful study of the guarded jewel displays. Her gaze crossed his as they worked their way around the room. Bruce had to hide a grin behind his glass as she glared and tossed her head to move towards ignoring him again. No doubt she was angry he had never called for any further dates. It didn't matter much to him though – she hadn't been all that interesting. Not in the sense that Lenorah had turned out to be.

He turned his attention back to the stage now that Franco was done and the lights dimmed further. The dancers all seemed to be at various levels of experience. Only a couple of the older ones registered in his comparisons with the talent he had seen hints of from watching Lenorah. It was a little interesting to see the doctor next to him squirm just a bit because of the little blonde on stage at the moment.

It was surprising that so many people he would consider too conservative for such an event were enjoying themselves. Of course, they were keeping things rather tame, more along the lines of an old burlesque strip tease than anything else. Gypsy would have been proud.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

She couldn't believe she had subjected herself to this. The man had been easy enough to convince she was worth taking to the event. Kingston wasn't the brightest bulb, but she hadn't expected him to be such a bore either. All he wanted to talk about was himself, and the subject wasn't anywhere near being engaging. It was that or having to listen to him bitch and moan about how Bruce Wayne always came out on top. Selina had her own beef with Gotham's prince, but she didn't let it fester the way Kingston did. She was convinced the man blamed Wayne for everything that had ever gone wrong in his life.

That was just stupid. Like most of the dancers that evening. Zorellie's must have been hard up to find anyone with a smidge of talent if this was all they had to show for it. Of course, there hadn't been that many good dancers when she was in their ranks. And even less since she had been kicked out. The incident still set her on edge, but she had to be careful not to show such emotion right then. No doubt the bouncers had all made her when she entered the room.

The lights went out completely save for the low candles burning on each table. This would have been the perfect moment to make her move – if she'd known what the schedule for the evening was. Instead she would just have to linger around as the room was being cleaned up and cleared out before she could strike. It meant she would have to find some way to ditch her date, but she didn't think she'd have a problem there. A heavy sigh, with fluttering eyelashes and boobs pressed up against a man's arm often did wonders. As long as the arm didn't belong to Bruce Wayne.

Selina still had no idea what had gone wrong there. Other than the fact that he hadn't taken any time at all to replace her with that bitch. The one who was on stage that very moment – and whom she had to grudgingly admit was a great dancer. One had to be stupid to attempt to compete with Busty Grim. Selina had lost the race before it ever started. It pissed her off, but she would have her moment in the light soon enough. There were areas she was more talented in, and she would shine from the darkness when she was ready.

Knowing that it would take the woman on stage down at the same time put a smile on her face. The show was nearly finished and she would help herself to something nice soon enough.


	23. Part 22

"Do you get to keep this?"

Lenorah shivered just a little as his breath brushed against the back of her neck. "Yes. Though I'm sure you'll like the one I had specially made more."

"Another surprise?" Bruce brushed a hand down the middle of her back. "I'm not sure I can survive any more surprises."

"Then you'll die quite happy."

She moved away as another society wife came up to ask about her costume. As far as she could tell, the show had been a rousing success. Franco would be busy with all the new orders coming in, and there were quite a few pained looks on some husband's faces as their wives dragged them towards the Royal Jeweler's displays. She had been tempted by a few of them herself, but she would have to wait a bit before indulging in such things.

Lenorah could feel Bruce's eyes on her as she took her turn around the room. It was rather fun really. She hadn't had this much fun running around in her undergarments in a long while. Aside from that, it was even more fun to take in the various shades of red Dr. Smythe was turning as a couple of the dancers milled around him. Bruce had mentioned the other man's reaction to little Mel, and Lenorah hadn't wasted any time in letting the girl know. The two of them made a rather cute couple.

Watching them also served as a cover for watching a different couple. Their little thief didn't look to be enjoying herself much as she was tugged around the room by Kingston. Anyone who noticed the smile of triumph on Lenorah's face would attribute it to the event and how well it was going. No one would know if it was for some other reason.

"My dear, this is one of our best events ever. If I'm allowed to say so." Mrs. Furin bounced up next to her. "And all the girls look so lovely."

"They do. I didn't think it would turn out quite so well as it has."

Alexis Forsythe made her way towards them. "Lenorah, this is such a smashing success. You even managed to convince Franco to talk at the start so we're not all sitting there bored as hell afterwards. Do say you'll join us and bring some new blood to the society. It's long past time we welcomed a new face into our ranks."

"I ... I suppose I could do that."

"Wonderful. I'll be in touch when we decide where the next meeting will be. Come Marjorie, we've guests to visit with still."

Lenorah gave her head a gentle shake as the two women wandered off, bickering softly with each other. She knew the two were friends of a sort, but they hardly ever seemed to get along with each other. They kept it on a verbal level and went no further. Which was a good thing because Lenorah wasn't sure which one was a good bet to win in a matronly cat fight.

She turned from thanking another couple on their way home to see Bruce storming towards her with a thundercloud darkening his face. Lenorah wasn't sure what she had done, but the hand that slid around her waist gave her a clue. He needn't have worried, because there were four bouncers a great deal closer who would see to it first.

"You look ravishing."

She wasn't able to move fast enough with the current crush around them to avoid the hot breath against her neck. The voice was familiar, and the owner no doubt rather drunk. They certainly felt it when she drove her elbow into their gut.

"I will ask that you keep your hands to yourself." She turned, shoving people out of the way as she stepped back.

"Kingston. Loose your date already?"

Lenorah swore she could feel the vibrations from Bruce's growl as he came up behind her. A pair of bouncers were already flanking the drunken idiot. She nodded to them and they began to drag him away before Kingston could even think of a response.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. Not the first time I've been felt up by a drunken idiot."

"It will be the last time for that one." He took one of her hands, rubbing absent circles on the back of it with his thumb. "I can always arrange for a certain late night visit."

"It's so cute when you go all possessive protector on me." She grinned and leaned in closer to whisper in his ear. "Silly little cat used me as a distraction to get rid of her date."

She laughed as Bruce tugged her behind the curtain set up to give them a back stage area. It was a rather safe bet as to what the people they had just pushed through thought the two of them were doing.

"What is so amusing?"

Lenorah gathered up her dress from earlier. "Just thinking about what our hasty exit looked like to those people out there. You did drag your girlfriend back here, and in nothing but black lacy undergarments."

"If this were a normal evening…" There was a dark hunger in his eyes. "But we have other obligations to see to first."

"Yes, just let me get dressed. The hotel management was rather adamant that no one appear in the lobby without being covered." Lenorah snorted and rolled her eyes. "Which makes no sense considering the photos I've seen of past Halloween parties hosted here."

"You mean the annual day of skank wear formerly known as Halloween?"

"That's the one. Hope it won't come as a disappointment that I have that as one day where I'm not prancing about in my under-roos in public." She turned her back to him. "Zip me up."

"Can't help but feel this is happening in the wrong order tonight."

"How so?"

"I should be pulling this damned zipper down."

"I'm not the one who scheduled another event this evening." Lenorah turned back and wrapped her arms around his neck. "But I promise you can do just that if you behave yourself until we get home."

The kiss he gave her was brief, but no less potent. It was hard to resist the urge that flared up to just forget what else they had planned for the evening.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

"I can't say as I like this much sir."

Commissioner Gordon held back a sigh. He had heard the same thing repeated by various people since first telling them of the information Batman had sent him. He would have preferred to be home having dinner with his family. But they would have to do without him for the evening while he waited for delivery of one lady burglar.

"What's not to like lieutenant? We get to claim the glory without much risk to ourselves. And if things don't work out, we're not inside to take the blame."

Bullock grunted and slumped forward against the steering wheel. "You put too much trust in that costumed freak. Who should still be brought in, but no one listens to me."

"You seem to forget I was there the night it all happened." Gordon's voice was low and tired.

"That's the only reason I don't complain about it to anyone else sir."

"I suppose that's good enough for now."

"I know Batman isn't what everyone else still thinks he is, but that doesn't mean I have to like him. How sure are you this is going to work sir?"

"About as sure as I am in saying you would have been promoted by now if you weren't such a cranky SOB."

Bullock grunted. "No one said I had to be nice to get the job done. Bad enough when I was made lieutenant in the first place."

"All I care about is if you're honest."

"Painfully so sir, if you listen to my ex anyway."

Gordon couldn't help the soft chuckle. "Bullock –"

A faint chirp from his pocket interrupted him. Gordon pulled out a second cell phone and exchanged a glance with the other officer after reading the screen.

"It's started."

Bullock grunted in reply, scowling down at the phone. "Cape boy had better not screw this one up."

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

There was one part of the plan he really hadn't liked. But the woman was too stubborn to be talked out of it. He probably could have put his foot down and gotten his way, but there was the chance Lenorah would have ignored such and gone ahead and done it anyway.

So he sat perched outside a ledge on the Gotham Grand while Lenorah was inside making the bait in their trap smell better. Batman just had to hope she didn't end up shedding any blood with this exchange. Each time the two women ended up anywhere near each other things tended to go to shit. She had promised to not get directly in Catwoman's path. He wasn't going to hold his breath for that one.

The jeweler's crew was doing a good enough job in running their normal packing up routine. Though all but a few pieces on display that evening had been well crafted replicas, they were treating each piece if it were irreplaceable. They just had to hope their target this evening hadn't taken too close a look at everything. She wasn't your average thief.

A faint click of heels on the tile floor alerted him that things were moving forward. As did the blending of Lenorah's voice and the Royal Jeweler's representative as they moved through the room. The two ladies left, followed by a crew rolling out the cases full of jewels. Only one man remained behind in the room with the case still needing to be packed. Either their little thief would be smart enough to sense a trap, or let her ego run away with her and make a go at what was left in the room. They needed to hope for the later.

They hadn't the time to set up motion sensors and the like. He would have preferred it, but there had been too many people around setting up for the fund raiser that it wouldn't have been possible. The security team from Club Zorellie had put up a few extra cameras around the room. No one would think anything of them still in place with the jewels still being removed from the room.

There was a strange sound from out in the hallway. Batman could see the lone guard in the room debating on himself about the suggested plan of action. If they weren't trying to catch a thief, no doubt the man would just ignore whatever was out there. To do otherwise would cost him his job. He finally overcame his reluctance long enough to make a good show of slipping out the door to investigate. Now all they had to do was wait.

"She's moving in." Lenorah's voice was a soft whisper from the earpiece. "Decoy cameras are down."

He grunted in reply.


	24. Part 23

She had waited after cutting the lines to the security cameras. It had almost been too easy, but it wasn't as though she did this without a far bit of caution. She wasn't stupid, no matter what they liked to report in the papers.

The billionaire stealing bitch had just left the room a few minutes ago, taking most of the guards with her. Of course, most of them had also taken the jewels with them. There were still enough for a decent pay day. One that would get her out of Gotham at least. Enough to keep her away for a good long while, if not forever.

Gotham had never been meant as a permanent place of residence. None of her "homes" ever were. Staying in one place was a surefire way to end one's career sooner than expected. They would only allow so many high profile thefts from important people before calling in the hounds and hunting her down. The dogs were quite nasty if you were stupid enough to tangle with Club Zorellie. She hadn't wanted to make that particular mistake again. Yet, here she was.

There was only one man left in the room. While she hadn't expected him to rush out of the room the moment her distraction went into play, she hadn't been expecting such a delay in his actions either. The longer the idiot dithered about before seeing to the noise in the hall, the less time she would have for this particular heist. She had nearly slumped with relief when he finally left the room.

While many women did not celebrate their more petite forms, Selina had reveled in hers. It made skulking about in cramped ventilation shafts waiting for the perfect moment to strike much easier. So she wasn't as well endowed as others, they couldn't contort themselves half as well. Nor with as much skill as she had trained for. She dropped from the vent at the top of the wall with little sound, and a smug grin quirking her lips under the mask she wore. Victory was close enough now to catch a whiff of scent on the air.

Things went quickly when she realized she wouldn't have to undo any locks. Having caught the case before the man was finished with it was a particular stroke of luck. She congratulated herself on her timing before pulling out the various trays filled with gems.

"Hello pretties. What say we take a little trip?"

Her fingers danced across the necklaces and other jeweled articles. Each one glinted and gleamed in the lights of the room, more attractive now than they had been earlier that evening. It wouldn't do to spend too much time admiring her catch right then. The room would not remain vacant forever. So she hurried through her task of rolling the cloths lining the trays into tight bundles to stuff in the pockets of her suit. An earring from the last tray escaped her grasp and went bouncing across the floor.

She chased after it, coming to a quick halt when she noticed what it came to a stop against. There was another person in the room. One she hadn't noticed before now.

"Oh, did you drop something little kitty?"

Unable to stop herself, she hissed as she got to her feet. "You can't stop me."

"Oh, I believe I can. And if by some chance you get by me this time, you won't make it through everyone else. Or the cops waiting for you outside."

"What does it matter to you what I do?" If she could keep the woman distracted enough, she could make her escape out the window. "You've enough money of your own, you wouldn't miss it if I took these from your own house."

"There may very well be people like that in the world. I'm not one of them." Green eyes flashed above a curled lip. "And unlike you, I know the worth of a proper days work. I don't take things I haven't earned myself."

"You don't need to earn anything. You've more money that you know what to do with. You're no different than any other rich person." Selina felt safe in her anger as she backed towards the window. "You all sit up above everyone else looking down on those that toil day in and day out and never get anywhere, thinking that if you throw some money at a charity that you've done your good deed for the year. It doesn't make a difference to the lives you all trample on to get where you're at."

The taller woman shook her head. "And what, you're Robin Hood now? I don't see you sharing your ill gotten goods with those less fortunate. Whatever pay day you were planning on from this failed heist is for you and you alone. Don't try to make yourself feel better by tearing down people you don't even know."

"I know you're rich and comfortable enough. You probably just played at being a dancer to give your parents something to gripe about."

"I danced and worked three other jobs to put myself through college. No one gave me anything on a silver platter, and I never expected it. So what's your excuse?" Her rival's face darkened just a tad more. "Poor little kitty come from a broken home? Your mommy didn't hug you enough when you were a snot nosed little gutter snipe? Daddy didn't give you the dolly you wanted for Christmas?"

"Shut up!"

"What's wrong? I scratch too hard at an exposed nerve? Did I remind you of how pathetic your excuse is for these crimes you've committed?"

"You don't know anything." Selina nearly spat, her anger making things a little hazy around the edges. She felt it when her back hit one of the large windows. "Who cares if you had to work a few jobs, what do you know about being unwanted? You and the rest of the stupid little whores at Zorellies. Thinking you're better than the rest of us when you're nothing but second rate strippers. Claiming to help people and you all cast me aside as though I wasn't worth the time."

"I know that stealing things that aren't yours is a rather pathetic way to get mommy's attention." Her voice hardened. "And I was a first rate stripper. I don't know what led you to being cast out, but the only way a girl earns such treatment at any Club Zorellie is if she was stealing from customers or coworkers – or if she attempted to strut around as though the world owed her everything without earning it like the rest of us stupid little whores. In your case I can imagine it was a little bit of everything."

The latch to the side window was easy enough to flick open. Easier than the somewhat stubborn window. "Unless you want to follow me out, you can't stop me."

"Oh, I'm not the one who will be stopping you sweetheart." The other woman had a smug smile plastered across her face now. "That's his job. And I rather doubt you can flirt your way out of it this time."

Black fabric blew in the now open window. It would only take a few seconds to change her escape plans, she knew she could get past the woman easily enough. But if Batman managed to get a hold of her this time, there would be no getting away from him. She couldn't be locked up. Cages and prison jump suits were not a good look for her.

At least, that's how things would have gone in an ideal world. Of course she wouldn't have done this job in so rushed a manor if this had been an ideal moment in her life. Her attempt to push the other woman aside resulted in her sprawling backwards with a bloody nose. Selina should have remembered the bitch liked to fight dirty. And now she was pinned to the floor with a knee in the middle of her back and a pair of hands holding her shoulders down. An attempt to kick the woman in the back was thwarted by something rather unyielding. Something that would no doubt leave a bruise.

Selina continued to struggle well past the point where it had become useless. They couldn't do this to her! And yet, she was still on the floor a few minutes later – just now with her hands and feet bound to fully hinder her escape. The pounding of many more pairs of feet on the stairs outside the room were the final death knoll.

"Which do you think would shatter her more? The knowledge that her break in was taped with the real security cameras she failed to disconnect – or that the only jewels left in the room were all fakes?"

It felt as if someone had just sucker punched her. And neither of them had touched her since they had seen to her restraints. A part of her deep inside raged and howled, but it couldn't be heard much over the dull throb of failure that left her a limp bundle for the police to cart off.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

There was a bit of a different stand off later that evening. What should have perhaps been a celebration for a job well done was turning into another fight. He was more tired than he expected to be.

"Was it really necessary to kick her while she was down?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I violate one of your secret rules? The stupid little twit is still alive, she's in police custody, and I didn't even break her nose this time." Lenorah stood well out of reach, her arms held tightly across her chest. "Or am I supposed to be more understanding of every stupid little criminal who came from a broken home? Is that it? I wasn't sensitive enough about her past issues?"

"No, that's not –"

"Because I had a less than ideal childhood and you don't see me out committing acts of larceny and other illegal acts. And that's even when I forget to take my happy pills – so tell me all great and knowing Oz why I couldn't burst her precious little bubble without you treating me worse than her?"

"Because you're supposed to be better than that."

"Yes well apparently I'm not. So glad we got that out of the way before we went any further."

Bruce watched her storm away, his armor half off. He hadn't ended up with much to do that evening. Having put it on had nearly been a waste of time. And now it was taking far too long to shed it. Not that he was in any hurry right then. Perhaps he should have been.

It just had been a bit of a shock that Lenorah would do such a thing. Catwoman – Selina now he was sure of it – had already been captured, subdued and restrained. There was no need to add insult to injury. Yet she had gone ahead and done it. The move was nothing more than spite and anger taking the place of common sense. She was …

His shoulders slumped. Lenorah was someone with a lot of issues. Someone better at keeping things locked up in a little box hidden deep inside. Someone who had never felt as though she fit in no matter where she had gone. There was something more, some deep festering wound that Selina's words had dug their claws into. Bruce had no idea what had triggered such petty actions, and he still didn't like what she had done, but perhaps he could make an effort to understand exactly what had made her do it. At least she hadn't shown up at the courthouse with a gun in her pocket.

A rather confused Alfred was waiting for him when he stepped out of the elevator. "You're still here? But I heard the front door not long ago. I thought you and Miss Sorris had left again."

He cursed under his breath and took off down the hall. Bruce didn't even bother to look for her down the visible stretch of driveway, she was no doubt further away by now than anyone would expect. Even if she was attempting to get home on foot. Most women would have demanded a ride back into town, or stuck around waiting for a taxi to show up. There were very few who would attempt to walk back to Gotham late at night in a pair of designer heels.

Why did he always have to be drawn to such headstrong stubborn women?

Bruce ignored the fact he had nothing on save for a pair of loose exercise pants as he made his way towards the garage. He didn't even care what he hopped into as long as the keys were handy and he didn't have to waste more time searching for them. Even better when a guy remembered he was rich enough to buy cars that didn't even need a key anymore.

The engine roared to life behind him and he took off with a spray of gravel. If she really wanted to leave it he wasn't going to stop her. She sure as hell wasn't going to get away without an explanation or something along those lines. That much he was certain about. He just had no idea how far away she was by now. Bruce didn't expect to find her making her way back towards the house before he ever made it to the main road.

She had her shoes in one hand, while her other arm was wrapped around her middle. He couldn't read much from the expression on her face. It was late, they were both tired, and he really didn't feel like standing in the middle of the drive to have a serious conversation. Still, he needed to see what exactly she was wanting to do. Lenorah shied away as he got out of the car.

"Sorry. I just ... I needed a moment to cool down and it was this or freeze my ass off under the waterfall." Her gaze was trained on her feet. "I let her get to me and I shouldn't have."

"I'm not the best of examples either."

"I just ... I just can't stand it when people use their terrible childhoods as excuses to get away with whatever they want. I may have been in the lap of luxury, but I was no more wanted than an unexpected pregnancy with someone living in the slums. There are any number of people with similar backgrounds who didn't turn to a life of crime, who don't expect anything handed to them they haven't earned."

He held out a hand. "Can we finish this back at the house? Or would you rather I take you home?"

"Your place is fine. I didn't worry Alfred much did I? I didn't mean to…"

When she didn't move, he took a gentle grip on one wrist and began to pull her closer. "He's fine. Probably rather smug and satisfied at the moment that I went rushing off after you. Though he thought we had both left when he heard you leave."

"I'm sorry, I –"

"It's fine." He wrapped one arm around her waist to keep her from moving away, the other cupped her cheek. "I'm sorry if I sounded like I was angry or … well however it might have sounded earlier."

"She'll probably get off with a stern look and a slap on the wrist. Or manage to charm her way out with an early release for good behavior." She let out something like a sigh mixed with a tired laugh. "We'll probably see her again sooner than we'd like."

"Probably. You're sure you're alright?"

Lenorah nodded. "It was just a little much earlier, your comment was sort of the icing on the cake while I was kicking myself for my own behavior … I walked it off and now I'm just tired and my feet hurt."

"I thought I'd find you on the road halfway back to the city already."

"I didn't even make it to the end of the drive before turning around. If I had really wanted to be gone I would have helped myself to something in the garage. Only a drunk idiot would walk back to the city from here with shoes like this."

His eyebrows lifted towards his hairline. "Helped yourself to something in the garage?"

"I would have left a note and kept it safe in my secure area of the parking garage until one of you could come to fetch it. I merely borrow when it's necessary Mr. Wayne."

Their laughter mingled with the car idling behind them. The headlights were bright enough to show the dull bleakness had left her eyes for the moment. With the life back in them, Bruce felt something lift off his shoulders and pulled her into a kiss. Soft and tender soon gave way to something more heated and hungry. He vaguely caught the faint patter of a pair of shoes hitting the ground before her hands started tracing the muscles of his back.

The need for air finally drove them apart, though neither moved away from the other. Instead they clung to each other as though they were cast adrift.

"That's a much better way to end our story."

"What?" She blinked up at him in confusion.

"It would have been a terrible end if you had left."

"Mr. Wayne, what gave you the idea that our story was anywhere near done?"

Their lips met again, by moon and headlights. The world could have fallen down around their ears right then and neither would have noticed.


	25. And so we draw to a close

The scene itself was something most Gothamites were slowly getting used to. Even those with eyes behind a haze of jealousy could admit that the two together made a handsome couple. They were a well matched pair.

Because who wouldn't fall in love with the story of the playboy billionaire and his stripper turned heiress girlfriend – it was better than Cinderella could ever hope to be. This princess could take care of herself.

It was a regular thing now, to catch sight of the pair every so often for a night out on the town. Sometimes a classy five star restaurant, but just as often as some little back street eatery in everyday clothing one hardly expected to find them in.

On this particular evening it was the former. A little table for two at a new Italian place that had recently opened. There was nothing remarkable about the two of them enjoying dinner. Nor did it bring much attention to them when he rose to leave early. The woman registered nothing more than minor irritation at the whole thing as he walked away. It was something she had gotten used to.

No one expected it when he stopped a few tables away and turned back. Not even the woman he had left sitting alone at the table brooding over an empty wine glass. The kiss he gave her was a surprise to everyone. And had quite a few patrons looking down at their plates wondering if the sauce had hidden a slice of hot pepper or something – because the temperature in the room had suddenly risen.

The pair finally separated, and he left this time with a bit more bounce in his step. She was flushed, but none of it was shame or embarrassment.

Quite a few people found themselves on the ends of looks from their partners wondering why they never tried anything like what they had just witnessed. Each one of them cursed the fact that they lived in the same city as Bruce Wayne.

Lenorah Sorris simply smiled and waved down a waiter for a refill.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

AN:

And that's the end … but yet not. Because y'all know there will be more. So don't go too far away.

Sorry if this felt a little rushed at the end, but I really just wanted to be done with this one so I can move onto the next. Though bear with me cause it might not happen until after the first of the year or so. I'm in the middle of moving to a new house and everything is nucking futs for me at the moment.

I can promise the guest star from Metropolis will feature quite a bit actually. And I might have some of you wanting to put a hit out on me at some point in the story – but you should know that romance always ends on a high note. *wink wink*

Oh yeah, Beta-ers get it in advance…. (hehehe)


End file.
